(MENAFN) Moscow has condemned a sweeping EU visa restriction targeting Russian nationals, with the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman suggesting the measure reveals the bloc's preference for "migrants on benefits" over "solvent tourists."

The European Commission announced Friday it will halt issuing new multiple-entry Schengen visas to most Russians, limiting them to single-entry permits that require fresh applications for each EU trip.

"Apparently, the European Commission reasoned as follows: why does Western Europe need solvent tourists when it has illegal migrants and Ukrainian draft dodgers living on benefits?" Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told media.

The constraint forms part of broader restrictions designed to reduce Russian arrivals and was implemented due to what an European Commission statement described as the "weaponization of migration, acts of sabotage and potential misuse of visas."

Narrow exemptions will cover close relatives of EU citizens, including spouses, registered partners, and children under 21. Transportation personnel—seafarers and truck drivers—may secure nine-month permits.

Russian travelers had effectively stopped receiving multiple-entry Schengen visas even before the EU's official prohibition, according to the Russian Union of the Travel Industry (RСТ).

"Multiple-entry visas are now issued to a minimal number of travelers from Russia to Europe, most often to business tourists," the RСТ stated.

Since Ukraine conflict escalation in 2022, the EU has complicated and inflated costs for Russian visits by suspending a visa facilitation accord and intensifying application scrutiny.

Under its 19th sanctions package adopted last month, Brussels curtailed movement of Moscow's diplomats throughout the Schengen Area, mandating they notify member states beforehand of any travel.

While the European Commission lacks authority to enforce total bans on Russian visitors, it has pressed member states to strengthen entry standards.

Certain nations, including the Baltic states and Poland, have implemented absolute prohibitions, while others—Greece, Hungary, France, Spain, and Italy—continue issuing visas and resist limitations on ordinary Russian travelers.

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