Following a partial mobilisation ordered by Moscow, the number of Russians entering the EU has increased, and if Russia closes its border to prospective conscripts, unlawful crossings are expected to rise, according to a report released on Tuesday by the EU border agency Frontex.
Following defeats on the Ukrainian battlefield, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilisation on September 21. This announcement prompted a rush of thousands of Russians to enter neighbouring nations.
Nearly 66,000 Russian people entered the EU over the last week, an increase of more than 30% from the week before. According to Frontex, the majority of people landed in Finland and Estonia over the week of September 19–25.
Frontex said that 30,000 Russian nationals had entered Finland in the previous four days alone.
According to the report, the majority of Russians entering the EU have dual citizenship, residence cards, or visas.
Frontex stated that if the Russian Federation decided to seal the border for potential conscripts, unlawful border crossings “are likely to grow,” adding that in the long run, an increase in illegal stays by Russians in the EU was also feasible.
The 27-nation EU started debating how to handle Russian draught dodgers on Monday, but so far no consensus has been reached.
A visa restriction for Russian visitors was requested by the Baltic states and some other nations, but the EU was unable to reach consensus on the issue at the end of August. Instead, it chose to increase the cost and duration of obtaining a visa for Russian travellers to enter the bloc.
On September 19, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania moved forward on their own and began enforcing entrance restrictions for Russian visitors. Finland intends to impose such limitations.
