Lithuania seeks to add nearly 600 Russian military personnel to Schengen blacklist

Lithuania is preparing to add nearly 600 Russian military personnel to its national blacklist and the Schengen Information System (SIS), the Migration Department announced Friday, as reported by the BNS news agency.

All individuals will be subject to a 10-year entry ban to Lithuania and a five-year ban across the Schengen Zone, with the possibility of extension as the expiry date approaches. The move follows an earlier decision in March, when the Interior Ministry announced the blacklisting of 268 Russian citizens directly involved in combat operations against Ukraine, bringing the total number of sanctioned individuals to nearly 900.

Under current regulations, Lithuania no longer processes visa applications from Russian and Belarusian nationals—neither national nor Schengen visas—except in cases mediated by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry.

Estonia, which became the first EU country to blacklist over 1,000 Russian combatants in the Schengen system, had urged coordinated EU-wide visa restrictions for Russians earlier this year. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has expressed support for the proposal.

In a joint letter to the European Commission and European Council in March, the leaders of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Germany, and Romania called for concrete EU-level measures to address security concerns linked to Russian military personnel.