Germany urges EU to cut Russian holiday visas after sabotage probe

Germany has called on the European Union to restrict holiday visas for Russian citizens after a Belarusian man investigated over an alleged attempt to attack Leipzig airport was found to have been travelling on a tourist visa issued by Italy, the Guardian reported on Friday.

The case has sharpened a long-running debate inside the EU over whether ordinary Russian visitors should still enjoy freedom of movement across the bloc while the war in Ukraine continues. Germany is now pushing for a coordinated response, arguing that Schengen-issued visas granted by one member state become a liability for the whole border-free area.

The development lands at a sensitive moment for Italy, whose consulates have been among the most active in the Schengen area in issuing visas to Russian applicants. The revelation that an Italian-issued document is at the centre of a German security investigation is likely to complicate Rome's position in the coming discussions.

The Guardian's report said the suspect, a Belarusian national, was being investigated over an alleged plan to attack Leipzig airport. The detail that his tourist visa had been issued by Italy has given the German request particular force, since it illustrates how a visa granted in one EU state can be used to move freely across the bloc.

The Schengen system allows travellers holding a visa from any member state to cross internal borders without additional checks. That principle, long celebrated as a pillar of European integration, has repeatedly come under strain during security crises, with individual governments reintroducing temporary border controls.

For the Piemonte bureau, the story carries a specific resonance. Turin's Caselle airport and the region's position along the western Alpine corridor to France and Switzerland make it a transit point for travellers moving across the Schengen area. The region's airports and border crossings would be among the first to feel the effects of any tightening of visa rules or reintroduction of controls.

Germany's push is unlikely to be resolved quickly. EU visa policy requires unanimity among member states, and several governments, including Italy, have resisted blanket restrictions on Russian tourists since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Baltic states and Poland have repeatedly called for tougher measures, while southern member states have argued that cutting tourism links would punish ordinary Russians without changing the course of the war.

The case also raises questions about the robustness of visa screening procedures. If a Belarusian national could obtain an Italian tourist visa despite security concerns, critics will ask whether consular staff in Moscow and elsewhere are applying sufficient scrutiny. Italian authorities have not commented publicly on the case, according to the Guardian's reporting.

The timing is awkward for the Italian government, which is celebrating its record as the longest-serving administration in postwar history. A security lapse linked to an Italian-issued document could become ammunition for opposition parties and for the far-right challenger Roberto Vannacci, whose Futuro Nazionale party has been gaining ground by positioning itself as tougher on security than the governing coalition.

German interior ministry officials have framed the issue as a matter of European solidarity, arguing that the security of one member state is the security of all. Whether that argument prevails in Brussels will depend on whether Germany can convince enough partners that the threat posed by Russian and Belarusian travellers outweighs the diplomatic and economic costs of restriction.