The local Finnish press says there are individual cottages in the country that suddenly “magically” belong to more than 20 Russian citizens at the same time. actually aentry strategy According to Charly Salonius, a Finnish political analyst, especially through a visa issued to foreigners with property, EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA, a member of the Prensa Ibérica group and this media.
Finland, which has a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, is experiencing an avalanche of real citizens from the neighboring country fleeing the possibility of going to the front in Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. At the peak of the weekend, the number of admissions close to 9,000 in one day. Some go back to other European countries. For example, according to official data, 7,743 Russians arrived in Finland this Monday and 3,662 left.
“The government’s will is to further restrict the Russians’ arrival in Finland and the Schengen area, we must do that,” one woman explains to this newspaper. Finnish government resource. Helsinki had limited the number of visas it issued to Russian citizens to no more than 10% of the visas issued before the war. However, those who have already given or received at the consulate of another country can pass. “The problem is Most of those entering Finland have visas issued by Spain, Greece and Cyprus.… We will not be able to limit the arrival of Russians to visa policy alone.”
In this sense, the Finnish Foreign Minister took a clear stand. Country “doesn’t want to be a transit Pekka Haavisto is for the Schengen area with visas issued by other countries.”
Spain has a laxer policy on issuing visas. No maximum quota There are no special obstacles for the Russians. Thanks to the Visa Facilitation Agreement signed with Russia in 2007, it simply removed the privileges they had like other EU countries. Now they have to go to an interview like everyone else (where they go, what they do) what needs to be done to determine if they are worthy of an entry visa to Spain, what are the reasons for their travel etc.) this newspaper Failed to get from State Department Data on the number of visas issued to Russian citizens.
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares denied this Monday that there has been an “avalanche of Russian citizens” requesting visas to Spain. He provided that Spain opens its doors to Russian citizens Especially those who want to leave the country and risk their lives for their anti-war positions since last Wednesday, when Putin announced a partial military mobilization that included conscription of thousands of Russians.
all those russians “European values have a place among us”, told. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis through the pre-existing system of individual interviews. No detailed information is given about which criteria will be applied.
controversial ban
On September 19, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Poland decided to stop issuing Schengen visas to Russian citizens, thus effectively stopping entry through their borders. The foreign ministers of the four countries justified the decision protection of national security and the Schengen area in general. Only asylum seekers can seek entry as long as they can show that their application is justified.
The issue sparked intense debate and criticism. An extreme measure? The more Russians we accept instead, the better. To reduce the Russian mobilization capacity? Should everyone be rejected? And as for granting asylum, to whom? For example, should it be given to those who claim that they can be compelled to commit crimes against humanity after conscription?
“Here in the Baltic states, people believe that the borders cannot be opened to Russian men fleeing mobilization,” he explains to EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA. since Estonia Kristy Raik, director of the country’s Foreign Policy Institute (ICDS). “The security risks are so high, hundreds of thousands of Russians are trying to escape,” he says.
In addition, the analyst believes it is important to “allow”. Protest sentiment grows in Russia The number of those who oppose the decisions of the Putin regime (…), who showed their displeasure there and pressed for change”. The West cannot provide “an escape valve for the Putin regime” or help it survive by “allowing people critical of the government to flee the country”.
Another long-term security risk, according to Raik, is a significant increase in the number of Russian minorities in these small countries. Estonia, for example, has a population of only 1.3 million, of which 80,000 are of Russian descent. The existence of these large minorities may be “instrumentalized” by Russia as a form of “hybrid influence”. “Moscow has a long history. Presence of Russian-speaking population The Estonian analyst concludes as an excuse to conduct operations to support his geopolitical interests and influence other countries “as a mixed tool” to harm.
Likewise, Charly Salonius from Finland is shown: “There’s a big debate in Finland and it’s going to be more important. as the number of remaining Russians increases“, explain. “If someone seeks asylum, they must be considered, but they must show something that proves they deserve it, and the mere possibility of being hired is not a reason. For example, they must prove an opposition activity prior to the mobilization agreed last Wednesday.