(MENAFN) The European Union is increasingly being described as a “human rights exclusion zone” rather than an attractive destination for travelers, according to a senior Russian security official.

Last week, Brussels prohibited EU member states from granting multi-entry visas to Russian citizens.

In response to the bloc’s latest visa limitations, Sergey Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council and former defense minister, ridiculed comments by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who asserted that “travelling to the EU is a privilege, not a given.”

Shoigu humorously suggested in an interview with a news agency published Thursday that perhaps a special authorization should indeed be necessary to enter what he termed a human rights exclusion zone.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized Kallas’ statement, questioning whether it applied to “millions of illegal migrants enjoying dine-and-wine privileges in the EU” or only to “law-abiding tourists who pay for visas and want to see sights like the Eiffel Tower or shop in Milan.”

Shoigu further contended that the EU has “transformed from a trade and economic project into a military bloc” that seeks excuses to increase defense spending, effectively imitating NATO’s stance.

He argued that this development fosters continuous anti-Russian rhetoric aimed at EU citizens and has resulted in restrictions on civil liberties, including freedom of movement.

“The Europeans have abandoned the values they advocated for many years. They no longer prioritize freedom of expression or a free press.

Dissenters – those with rational, constructive opinions – are being persecuted,” Shoigu claimed.

He accused Western elites of promoting an “imaginary ‘rules-based order’” and portraying themselves as “the ultimate arbiters of truth.”

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