Russians in the EU: How have sanctions imposed on Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine affected their lives?

Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026

Gazeta Wyborcza

European countries impose varying restrictions on Russians following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Lithuania being the strictest.

🔗 Read the article on wyborcza.pl

Also republished by:

Mediapool - BUL
Voxeurop - ENG / FRE / GER / ITA

[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

The decision by Vladimir Putin to launch a full-scale war against Ukraine has altered how Russians are perceived across Europe, leading to stricter restrictions on their citizens depending on the country’s proximity to the front lines and experiences with Russia. Lithuania has implemented severe measures, including tightening visa controls, border crossing limitations, property purchases, and public activity for Russian and Belarusian activists who support the aggression. These new rules require individuals to sign public declarations condemning the invasion to engage in public life. In terms of entry, Lithuania suspended Schengen visa applications from Russia, though exceptions exist for humanitarian reasons. Meanwhile, Poland has also imposed strict restrictions since 2022, including banning tourist, cultural, and business entries, and restricting passport types entering after April 2026. Property purchase rules differ; while short-term visitors can buy standard apartments outside border zones, long-term residents or those married to Polish citizens have more rights. Bulgaria maintains a less restrictive stance, adhering only to minimum Schengen requirements, allowing Russian tourists entry with strict visas and permitting Russians to purchase real estate without significant limitations.

🔗 Read the original article

Previous page Free mammograms are available, but few people are taking advantage of them. EU countries are looking for ways to encourage women to undergo screenings, with Poland lagging behind
Next page Spain is in turmoil: massive protests are taking place on the streets, and the government is making urgent decisions

© 2026 Pulse - Europe beyond the beat


PULSE is an initiative for cross-border collaborative journalism in Europe co-funded by the European Commission under Grant Agreement n. PO 4500158093.

PULSE is an initiative coordinated by OBCT that has been promoting intensive journalistic cross-border collaborations in Europe since 2024. Its main aim is to help strengthen the European public sphere by reporting on and telling stories from new and diverse perspectives.

At the heart of PULSE are 10 leading national news outlets (Delfi – Lithuania, Deník Referendum – Czechia, Der Standard – Austria, EfSyn – Greece, El Confidencial – Spain, Gazeta Wyborcza – Poland, HotNews – Romania, HVG – Hungary, Il Sole 24 Ore – Italy, Mediapool – Bulgaria) and three transnational organisations, including OBCT , n-ost and Voxeurop .

Additional outlets and journalists are involved as associate partners, including EUobserver , Føljeton (Denmark), H-Alter (Croatia), Levila (Estonia), Rubryka (Ukraine), and The Journal Investigates (Ireland).

PULSE is driven by a sort of virtual transnational newsroom made up of journalists from all the publications involved. It collaboratively produces new journalistic content on European issues on a daily basis, coming in many different languages. The editorial output amounts to over a thousand publications per year, mostly in article form.

PULSE also runs 4 thematic networks open to any European journalist interested in crucial issues such as EU enlargement, relations between the EU and other global powers, the EU’s green transition, or media and the information society. These networks function as online communities and periodically publish calls for pitches.