PRAGUE – The Czech Republic announced on September 30 that it is restricting holders of Russian diplomatic and business passports from entering the country, citing mounting security concerns. Officials confirmed that Prague is the first European Union member state to implement such a measure, as the EU debates broader curbs on the movement of Russian diplomats across the Schengen free travel area.
Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stated the new policy applies primarily at international airports. While accredited diplomats based in Prague and staff of Russia’s embassy in the Czech capital are exempt, all other Russian diplomatic and business passport holders are barred. According to ministry spokesman Daniel Drake, the decision took immediate effect.
Lipavský emphasized that Prague would continue urging the EU to adopt similar measures across the Schengen zone. “This is a matter of collective security,” he said, insisting that Russia has been using its diplomatic network to conceal espionage activities. He argued that a joint European restriction would “help resolve our security problem, as (Russia’s) diplomatic network conceals networks of agents who endanger our security here.”The Czech intelligence service, BIS, backed the move, noting in its 2024 annual report that Moscow has been rebuilding espionage structures under diplomatic cover.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Czech Republic has positioned itself among the strongest EU supporters of Kyiv, providing both humanitarian and military aid. With a population of 10.9 million, Prague has consistently pressed for stricter EU-wide measures against Russia, both in sanctions and in limiting Kremlin-linked movements within the bloc.