EU member states have reached an agreement to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats within the bloc, following a sharp increase in sabotage attempts that intelligence officials attribute to operatives working under diplomatic cover, Financial Times reported on October 7.
European intelligence agencies have linked Moscow-backed spies to a growing number of hostile acts against NATO countries—including arson, cyberattacks, infrastructure sabotage, and drone incursions—describing it as a coordinated campaign to destabilize Ukraine’s European partners.
Under the new proposal, Russian diplomats stationed in EU capitals will be required to notify authorities before traveling outside their assigned host country.
The measure, initiated by the Czechia, forms part of a new EU sanctions package responding to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to FT. The package, which needs unanimous approval to take effect, overcame its main obstacle after Hungary withdrew its veto, according to two people familiar with the talks.
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However, formal adoption could be delayed due to Austria’s push to include an amendment lifting sanctions on assets connected to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Vienna argues the change is necessary to offset financial losses suffered by Raiffeisen Bank in Russia.
According to EU intelligence officials, Russian operatives often exploit diplomatic status to operate beyond their designated host countries and evade counterintelligence monitoring.
“They are posted to one place—but work in another,” said a senior EU diplomat, citing intelligence reports. “The host country intelligence services know what they are up to but, if they cross the border, it can be harder for that country to keep tabs on them.”
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According to FT, Czechia has been pressing for tighter controls since May last year. Prague has already expelled several Russian diplomats suspected of espionage, but hundreds remain accredited in neighboring Austria, allowing them to cross into Czech territory without restrictions.
Jan Lipavský, the Czech foreign minister, said the new rules are necessary to ensure fairness in diplomatic relations.
“There is no ‘Schengen for Russia,’ so it makes no sense that a Russian diplomat accredited in Spain can come to Prague whenever he likes,” he told the FT. “We should apply strict reciprocity to the issuance of short-stay, diplomatic visas under the Vienna Convention.”
Earlier, Czechia imposed new entry restrictions on Russian diplomats and holders of service passports, allowing them to enter the country only if they possess national accreditation issued by the Czech government.
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