Should the EU ban Russian tourists?
While the EU is considering a limited ban on tourist visas for Russian soldiers, Diana, a Ukrainian refugee in Italy, shows why encounters with Russian tourists can be so triggering.
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Ukraine fails to destroy ballistic missiles, again… Ukrainian strikes shut down a critical waterway in Russia… Russian hacked doorbell cameras to track Kyiv’s weapons deliveries…
Editor’s Note:
For many Ukrainians, including the majority of the Ukrainian team of The Counteroffensive, there is a sickening contrast between seeing citizens of the aggressor state enjoying a European vacation while Ukrainians die protecting their homes and can’t sleep due to repeated airstrikes. That’s why we’re telling Diana’s story.
If you value our work and want us to keep telling these complex, uncomfortable truths, please support us by subscribing today.
OUR LEAD STORY:
On June 19, Diana Kondratiuk furiously stormed out of the restaurant of the Floralpina hotel, where she works in Italy. As she smoked, she tried to calm down.
She kept telling herself: “You can’t take this to heart or let it get to you. You’re at work.” The next minute Diana sent a hotel room number to her Ukrainian colleagues with a brief note.
“Russians are there,” she typed.
It happened after Diana heard how the Russian tourists she was serving were discussing the war. Diana found them unpleasant at first sight. They were a married couple.
According to Diana, the woman was telling her husband about Mariupol, and how Russia “was doing everything correctly, but could’ve been more gentle, because there were children there.” While eating their breakfast, they were also discussing how supposedly “a Ukrainian sniper shot a Ukrainian mother and her children” (a common Russian propaganda narrative).
Diana was boiling inside. She had her back to them while she was setting the tables and listening to what they were saying. She wanted to march over and confront them, but all she could do was ask her boss for a smoke break because she couldn’t take it anymore.
This week the EU has been locked in a heated debate over a ban on visa issuance to former Russian soldiers, originally planned to be included in the 21st sanctions package adopted by mid-July. However, instead of full limitations, a narrowed ban is on the table following criticism by France and Italy.
The newly proposed travel restrictions will apply only to short-term visas and people who were actually fighting in Ukraine after the beginning of the full-scale invasion, excluding administrative and logistics staff. The exemptions from the ban were also widened: now visas may be granted for humanitarian reasons, national interest, or international obligations; earlier, only dissidents and defectors from the army could receive visas.
While chance encounters between Ukrainians and Russian tourists — some of whom may turn out to be active or former soldiers — are deeply unsettling, the issue ultimately extends beyond personal discomfort. Failure to completely restrict entrance to the EU by Russian combatants and war veterans could pose a security risk for the block.
In Ukraine, Diana Kondratiuk studied to be a lawyer and worked at a call center, but in Italy she started out as a maid in a hotel near Turin and since then has worked in hotels all over the country as a maid or waitress.
When Ukrainian refugees come to Europe they face challenges finding employment, in particular due to a lack of language skills and the non-recognition of their Ukrainian qualifications.
It was hard for Diana to get used to hard physical labor after a desk job, and she didn’t understand Italian at first which annoyed her employers. It was also difficult because this was never her true choice: she had been forced to flee her home, Sumy, in March 2022 with no plan of where to go. Her family packed into their minivan, went to the Romanian border and took the first free bus to anywhere, arriving in Crema, Italy two days later.
Now Diana works in the Floralpina hotel in Bolzano province amid the Dolomites in northern Italy. Her wrists hurt a lot from all of the dishes she has to carry, and she is always surrounded by the smell of food, vinegar used for making utensils shine, and sweat — intrinsically part of the Italian summer heat.
Despite the hard work and long hours, Diana likes working here; she’s officially employed and has nice pay and friendly relations with other staff members.
Yet, there are things that upset her: Russian tourists.
After the beginning of the full-scale invasion, all the EU countries banned Russian aircraft from entering their airspace, which made travelling for Russians more difficult. Instead, many Russians chose to visit Turkey, Georgia, Thailand: countries that provide a visa-free entry. Wealthier Russians, though, still fly to Europe with a layover in a third country.
In 2022, the EU also suspended its Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia. As a result, the visa application process became more complicated for Russians, and they were faced with more scrutiny.
Stricter rules were adopted in November 2025: Russians, with some exceptions as to the family members of EU citizens, transportation workers, journalists, dissidents, and civil society representatives, are no longer allowed to receive multiple-entry visas.
They are required to apply for a new short-term visa each time they plan to travel to the EU.
However, the issuance of visas remains within the jurisdiction of each member state.
Russians are barred from entering some countries (Poland, Czechia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) from a non-EU state, even if they hold a Schengen visa that allows them to enter Europe’s visa-free travel area. Entry for tourism purposes is prohibited for Russians who are not Schengen residents in Finland and Norway.
However, Italy, where Diana lives, is second only to France among the EU countries in issuing visas to Russians; in 2025, it issued 160,000 such visas.
Diana is alright with Russians who left the country many years ago or at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. According to her, they usually condemn Russia’s actions and “call a spade a spade.”
“I don’t feel like talking to them much, but I don’t feel like spitting in their coffee either,” Diana joked.
It is quite different when she encounters people who still live in Russia. When talking among themselves, she finds that they reiterate propaganda narratives.
“You always feel like responding when you hear such nonsense, heresy, or rubbish… If it were some restaurant where I was a guest, I wouldn’t be able to hold back, to be honest. But when you’re at work and you have to act professionally, all you can do is either pretend you don’t understand anything or leave,” Diana said.
Diana never speaks to them in Russian, only in Italian. Usually they want someone who speaks English, so Diana calls a colleague. Sometimes she asks her boss to move Russian tourists to another part of the restaurant where she isn’t working.
“It’s a business, and it’s not mine, so I [feel like I] have absolutely no… right to tell local management what to do,” Diana said. She is really grateful when they move Russians to another part of the restaurant to make her work a bit easier.
This June, eleven European countries demanded the further restriction of tourist visa issuance to Russians. These countries believe that Russians should not be able to vacation in Europe while Ukrainians are fighting for their survival.
In France and Italy’s opposition to the wider ban, they argued that it should be addressed through visa policy rather than in a sanctions package.
Furthermore, the two countries questioned the possibility of determining whether the person has actually fought or was only conscripted into the army. As such, they feared that the ban on ex-combatants would turn into a ban on entry for all Russians.
Meanwhile, the EU Commission has suggested new restrictions in the next revision of the Visa Code, which will be proposed this year. These measures would provide for suspension, rejection or restriction of visa applications submitted by citizens of third countries that pose security threats for the EU.
Diana would be happy if the EU stopped granting Russians with visas in general. She is extremely uncomfortable when she encounters them, and visa restrictions could have solved this issue. Even more frustrating is the fact that the person she is serving might be a Russian soldier.
“In Russian narratives, it is a ‘decaying Europe’ here. Why go here then?” Diana said.
Interested in more coverage about Russian influence in European countries? Take a look at these stories:
Why Russia pushes separatism inside NATO
Shadowing Russian hybrid warfare ships in the Baltic Sea
Mapaganda: Ukrainians flee to Europe, only to have their children taught Russian propaganda
Editor’s Note:
For many Ukrainians, including the majority of the Ukrainian team of The Counteroffensive, there is a sickening contrast between seeing citizens of the aggressor state enjoying a European vacation, while back home, Ukrainians die protecting their homes and can’t sleep due to reluctant airstrikes. That’s why we’re telling Diana’s story.
If you value our work and want us to keep telling these complex, uncomfortable truths, please support us by subscribing today.
THE LATEST NEWS AT THIS HOUR:
By: Oleksandra Poda
Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
UKRAINE FAILS TO DESTROY BALLISTIC MISSILES, AGAIN: Last night, Russia launched an overnight attack on Kyiv, using over 120 drones and 12 missiles, with half of them being ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy announced that while Ukrainian air defense was able to down most of the projectiles, they were not able to intercept the ballistic missiles.
Due to a shortage of Patriot interceptors, Ukraine has struggled to intercept ballistic missiles in Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine. During the July 6 strike, 29 ballistic missiles were launched at Ukraine, none of which were shot down. Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will hold the first meeting regarding the FREYA program, Ukraine’s own anti-ballistic system, a cheaper alternative to the Patriot interceptors. Earlier this week, Trump promised to grant a license for producing Patriots in Ukraine.
UKRAINIAN STRIKES SHUT DOWN A CRITICAL WATERWAY IN RUSSIA: On July 11, Russia temporarily suspended navigation through the Azov-Don Canal, a waterway connecting the Don River to the Sea of Azov, following massive Ukrainian strikes on Russian vessels.
Last night, 28 vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet were destroyed in the Sea of Azov. In total, Ukrainian drone units destroyed or damaged 76 vessels over six days, according to the Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. Russia’s Border Guard Service informed shipping companies that it would not accept applications for passage through the Kerch Strait, which connects the Azov and Black Seas, starting from 6:10 p.m. local time on Friday. There was no indication of when service would resume, Reuters reported.
Up to a quarter of Russia’s total wheat exports — the world’s largest — pass through the Sea of Azov. Following the strikes, wheat prices on Euronext jumped by 4%, reaching a six-week high.
RUSSIAN HACKED DOORBELL CAMERAS TO TRACK KYIV’S WEAPONS DELIVERIES: On July 10, Dutch intelligence agencies uncovered a large-scale Russian operation to hack into civilian cameras connected to the internet along weapons supply routes to Ukraine. Specifically, the hackers compromised doorbell cameras, which owners typically use to monitor their property via smartphones. The operation spanned European NATO countries, including the Netherlands. Organizations whose IP cameras were compromised along these routes have already been warned.
Ukrainian hackers have also used similar tactics. For instance, video footage from Russian cameras helped locate and destroy a submarine in Novorossiysk.
DOG OF WAR:
This morning, Oleksandra met nine corgis:
Four were spotted on their morning walk
Three stopped by for coffee
One popped into the pharmacy to get some throat lozenges for his owner
And one, pictured here, came to the lab to support his owner so he wouldn’t be afraid to get blood tests
Stay safe out there.
Best,
Mariana.
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