From October 25, Russian tourists holding Schengen-zone visas issued by any country will no longer be allowed to enter the Czech Republic.
In recent months, countries bordering Russia, like the Baltic states, along with Finland and Poland, have barred Russian tourists.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic immediately stopped visas for Russians, except on humanitarian grounds, after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine but allowed in visitors at airports who had visas issued by other countries in the EU’s Schengen travel zone.
Now, the tightening of rules, approved by the government today, means even those with EU visas from other states will not be allowed to enter.
“While Russian rockets fall on a children’s playground and on people in Ukraine, up to 200 Russian Federation citizens travel to the Czech Republic via international airports every day,” the Czech Republic’s foreign minister Jan Lipavsky said.
The ban will be for Russians holding visas for tourism, sport, or culture, Mr Lipavsky added.