On Tuesday, September 30th, the Czech Republic announced a ban on Russian diplomatic and business passport holders from entering the country, citing national security concerns and calling it the first measure of its kind in the European Union.
The EU is considering limiting the movement of Russian diplomats within the Schengen visa-free travel zone. Prague has long proposed restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats following the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022. Hawkish foreign minister Jan Lipavský told reporters
We have imposed an entry ban on the holders of Russian diplomatic and business passports at international airports.
Lipavský clarified that Russians holding accreditation from Prague would still be permitted entry and that the restriction does not apply to diplomats at Moscow’s embassy in the Czech capital.
Foreign ministry spokesman Daniel Drake said the measure took “immediate effect” and that Prague was the first EU capital to adopt the measure.
Lipavský told reporters that his country would “continue to push the proposal for pan-European, pan-Schengen restrictions,” adding that a Europe-wide measure would
help resolve our security problem as (Russia’s) diplomatic network conceals networks of agents who endanger our security here.
The Czech Republic, with a population of 10.9 million, has offered Ukraine both humanitarian and military support since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began. Last year it even considered a ban on the Russian Orthodox Church.