EU moves to curb Russian diplomats' travel over rising spy threat – FT
Photo: Russian diplomats will find it harder to travel in the EU (Getty Images)
Russian diplomats will find it more difficult to move within the EU as the bloc's governments impose restrictions citing espionage risks, according to the Financial Times.
Reason for restrictions on Russian diplomats
Intelligence services have established that diplomats operating under cover may be involved in a number of illegal activities.
These include arson, cyberattacks, and sabotage of infrastructure in NATO countries.
EU intelligence has also found that Russian spies posing as diplomats often manage assets or operations outside their host countries to better avoid counterintelligence surveillance.
What EU proposes
The proposed rules will require Russian diplomats working in EU capitals to notify other governments of their travel plans before crossing the border of their host country.
Restrictions still in question
The initiative to impose restrictions on Russian diplomats in the EU came from Czechia. It was included in a new package of anti-Russian sanctions, which not all members of the bloc are ready to approve in its current form.
Unanimity is required for adoption in the EU, and Hungary also supported this decision, although it was initially opposed.
However, legal approval of the restrictions may be delayed due to Austria's demand to ease sanctions on the assets of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
His assets are intended to compensate Raiffeisen Bank for losses it had to pay in Russia.
The EU is also preparing restrictions not only on Russian diplomats, but also on ordinary citizens.
The discussion focused on restrictions on the issuance of visas.
Earlier, Politico reported that the European Union was preparing to tighten the rules for issuing Schengen visas to Russian citizens by the end of the year.
