Russians should be asked about their position on the war against Ukraine in visa applications for entry. This opinion was expressed in an interview with Politico by Alexei Makeyev, the Foreign Ministry's special representative for sanctions.
"We insist that those Russians who support this genocidal war - and various polls show that more than 80 percent of Russians still support the war - have no access to the free world," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
He specified that he proposes a "special regime" for obtaining visas for the Russians, which provides for compulsory completion of a new questionnaire upon application.
They would have to answer in it, in particular, whether they support the war in Russia and whether they or their relatives have committed war crimes.
In addition, there may be questions about whether applicants feel responsible or partially responsible for the war.
Such questions, the Foreign Ministry special envoy says, could make Russians begin to think critically about the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin and put pressure on the Russian government.
"At the end of the day, we have to tell the Russian population that they have their own partial responsibility for what their government is doing. This will influence the Russian population to wake up and start thinking about responsibility and encourage their government to change policies," Makeyev believes.
It should be noted that a number of states have imposed visa restrictions on Russians since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On 1 July, Ukraine also introduced a visa regime for Russian citizens.