At least three European Union (EU) member states now require Russian diplomats who are not accredited in their territories to notify them before entering their borders.
According to the new requirement, Russian diplomats must provide advance notification if they intend to travel to, or transit through, a European Union country in which they are not accredited.
For instance, a Russian diplomat accredited in Germany and stationed at the Russian embassy in Berlin must provide France with advance notice if they intend to travel there or transit through French territory en route to a third destination.
The new rule was first reported late last month by Russia’s state-affiliated RIA Novosti news agency and picked up by the investigative news site The Insider.
Citing Russian diplomatic sources, RIA Novosti said three European Union states, Austria, France, and the Netherlands, had contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with information about the new requirement.
The Insider said last week it was unclear whether other European Union states had already issued similar restrictions against Russian diplomats.
The measure is included in the 19th Package of Sanctions against Russia, which the European Union adopted in October 2025.
The text of the sanctions package includes “an obligation for Russian diplomats, travelling across the EU beyond their country of accreditation, to inform the relevant EU Member State in advance.”
It also notes that the measure is “meant to tackle the increasingly hostile intelligence activities that support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”
(intelNews)
