The unrestricted presence of Russian tourists in Europe, months on from the invasion of Ukraine, has been the subject of a heated debate – one that has, at times, verged on a free-for-all.
Most recently, European Union (EU) foreign ministers agreed at the end of August to suspend a long-standing visa agreement with Russia that had simplified (and reduced the cost of) the application process.
The agreement had, in fact, already been suspended for businesspeople and government officials in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February – but ordinary Russians had remained able to travel to Europe to holiday or shop.
