The Russian authorities are scaring their citizens with "unjustified repressions" in Germany and officially recommending them not to visit the Federal Republic. What is this about and what does the coach of "Zenit" have to do with it?
Recently, Germany has been among the few countries that Russia officially does not recommend its citizens to visit unless they have "extremely urgent need". The corresponding warning was published on December 30 on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The reason for this is "outrageous facts of unjustified repressions", expressed in particular in the fact that employees German customs can seize various goods from Russian citizens leaving for their homeland. Russian authorities also claim that customs officers behaved “roughly“ .
“Germany has de facto become a “lawless territory“ for Russian citizens“, the Russian ministry said in a statement. The same wording was used by the ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova.
What caused the sharp reaction of the Russian Foreign Ministry
The warning was preceded by an incident with the head coach of the Russian football club “Zenit“ Sergey Semak and his wife Anna at Munich airport in December. The spouses wanted to get a refund of the VAT charged on goods they purchased, but instead customs officers confiscated those of them that exceeded the value of 300 euros per item. From the statement of Zakharova made it clear that the Russian Foreign Ministry considers the incident with the coach's family to be an act of discrimination on the basis of nationality.
“There have already been times in the history of Germany when such a manifestation of nationalism was perceived by the authorities of this country as some kind of new norm“, Zakharova said.
The German Foreign Ministry, in turn, categorically rejected the accusations that there is any threat to Russian citizens in Germany.
What restrictions apply to tourists from Russia in the EU
In reality, this is a situation that is different from the one described by the Russian Foreign Ministry: the rules that the Semak family violated have been in force since 2022, and they apply not only in Germany, but throughout the EU: the restrictions are included in the fourth package of sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
What exactly the restrictions include can be seen, by the way, on the website of the General Russian Consulate in Bonn: the export to Russia of luxury goods worth more than 300 euros, electronics worth more than 750 euros and musical instruments worth more than 1,500 euros, as well as cars worth more than 50,000 euros and/or with an engine capacity of more than 1,900 cc - including accessories and spare parts for them - is prohibited. In addition, a ban has been imposed on the export of euros in cash to Russia.
The bans also apply to private individuals, including if the goods are for personal use, which is also explicitly noted in the information from the Russian Consulate. In addition, there are references to more detailed explanations from the European Commission (EC) and the German Customs Service.
Reports of the seizure of luxury goods from Russians appeared actively in the first months after the sanctions came into force, and then they almost disappeared - probably because tourists paid attention to the restrictions or at least stopped asking for a refund VAT.
Which other countries does Russia not recommend visiting?
The “Warnings for Russian citizens“ section on the Russian Foreign Ministry website lists over twenty countries. For most of them, the ministry warns of individual risks, without, however, recommending against traveling to them. This is the case with France, for example - the warning is from 2023 and is due to “mass riots“, “cases of aggression“ by citizens of Ukraine and the inability to pay with Russian bank cards.
Information for Russian tourists traveling to the United States specifies that unless there are “extraordinary circumstances”, Russians should not visit “the United States and its allied satellite states, and above all Canada and (with few exceptions) EU countries”, the ministry also states. the Russian Foreign Ministry.