The fact that Russian tourists can still stroll down shopping streets, visit coffee shops, eat in restaurants, and buy gifts in Madrid, London, Vienna, Berlin and Paris not only upsets Ukrainians, it also angers many European citizens. How can it be that European countries issue tourist visas for Russian citizens while Putin continues his campaign against Ukraine?

Now there are demands from several EU countries for an outright ban on granting Russian travellers EU visas, with Finland, Estonia and Latvia specifically leading the call. “Visiting Europe is a privilege, not a human right,” writes Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, for example.

Schengen visas for Russian citizens are already being restricted in some countries, including those mentioned previously, but also in the Czech Republic. Other countries such as Poland and Denmark plan to introduce such restrictions on travel by Russians soon, with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, fuelling the discussion about a visa freeze in an interview with the Washington Post, saying ‘the most important sanction’ that the EU could impose on Russia would be to ‘close the borders’. Legally, however, the situation is complicated, with a visa for one Schengen country valid for the entire Schengen area.

In the UK, the issuing of visas to Russian citizens is not formally suspended, but various steps of the immigration process are delayed, according to reports. While there have been sanctions against specific individuals with links to the Putin regime in relation to travel to the UK, the British government has shown no signs of supporting a blanket ban, with outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a keen ally of Zelensky, insisting early on in the war that Russia’s people and government are two separate things.

What impact would a visa ban actually have?

Countries like Austria and Germany are naturally putting on the brakes, with Russian visitors still crucial for Austrian tourism in particular – even sanctions against oligarchs from Putin's inner circle were implemented only hesitantly by the Austrian authorities. Germany is also not in favour, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeatedly pointing out that ‘this is Putin's war, not the Russians'. The counter-argument of politicians in favour of a visa ban is that not only would holidaymakers be hit but also, for example, Russian secret service people would be prevented from travelling freely across Europe.

But what impact would a visa ban for Russians actually have? According to tourism experts, little, because Russians already spend most of their holidays in their own country, or a few specific destinations such as Turkey or Egypt. The British historian and writer, Owen Matthews, also argues that a visa ban would be racist and send the wrong signal: it would prevent young, independent Russians from educating themselves in the West, with a travel ban ultimately only benefiting Putin.

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin, for example, counters such arguments by saying that Russian tourists should not be allowed to travel through Europe carefree while their country is waging a brutal, aggressive war in Europe. Ultimately, a visa ban is also likely to be a symbolic act – but the discussions about it are likely to become heated.