Zelensky demands West ban Russian citizens

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed sanctions against Moscow as not going far enough, demanding that Western countries ban all Russian citizens from entering their territory.

Zelensky claimed in an interview with the Washington Post that the only way to stop Russia from annexing territory from Ukraine is for the West to bar people, including exiles emigrating from Russia over disagreement with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“[Russians will] understand then. They’ll say, ‘This [war] has nothing to do with us. The whole population can’t be held responsible, can it?’ It can. The population picked this government and they’re not fighting it, not arguing with it, not shouting at it,” the Ukrainian leader said. “Don’t you want this isolation? You’re telling the whole world that it must live by your rules. Then go and live there. This is the only way to influence Putin.”

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Zelensky stressed that he was referring to all Russians, answering concerns that the ban would include dissidents and exiles by saying that such distinctions don’t matter, per the report. “Whichever kind of Russian … make them go to Russia,” he said.

The Washington Post further clarified that Zelensky meant banning “all Russians including tourists, business executives, students and others.” The Washington Examiner didn’t receive a response when it reached out to the Ukrainian embassy asking for clarification regarding Zelensky’s proposal, such as what the ban would mean for dual citizens and if it would entail deportations for Russians already residing in Western countries.

Top officials in Finland, Latvia, and Estonia have proposed similar policies. Estonia’s foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu, suggested last week that the European Union should stop issuing tourist visas for Russians, according to Bloomberg. Russians entering Latvia are required to sign a document condemning the Russian invasion. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that Russian tourist visas should be restricted.


The Kremlin expressed its outrage over Zelensky’s proposal. “In fact, this is a statement that speaks for itself. Of course, most likely, their irrational thinking has gone over the top in this case,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, according to the Washington Post.

There are increasing fears that Russia will annex occupied parts of Ukraine as plans for referendums in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast become more concrete. The Russian-appointed governor of the region announced on Monday that he had signed the order to hold a referendum to join Russia in September, according to TASS.

“We, participants in the forum, declare that we pin our future on being together with Russia. Time is ripe to restore historical justice. We are confident that as a member of Russia the Zaporozhe Region will be protected from any encroachments,” his signed resolution says. Kherson is expected to follow suit, according to the Guardian.

Though Western nations are expected to dismiss the referendums as shams, analysts warn that formally adding occupied areas to Russia would further complicate the war. Western arms suppliers are weary of attacks on Russian territory, which could broaden the scope of the war, according to the Washington Post. It would also signal that Russian forces will not leave the territory short of military reconquest.

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Zelensky’s rhetoric also suggests that he may seriously consider a recent petition that would ban all Russians from entering Ukraine for the next 50 years over fears of saboteurs. The petition recently reached 25,000 signatures, requiring the Ukrainian president to consider putting it into law.

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