Bulgaria is suspending the issuance of tourist visas to Russians and visas for property owners for an indefinite period due to a "state of emergency." The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) announced the decision of the Consular Service of Bulgaria.

The reason for the decision is the expulsion from Russia of 14 Bulgarian diplomats, which the Russian Foreign Ministry announced today.

“Due to a shortage of employees, the consular service of the Russian Embassy in Bulgaria and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Varna have partially suspended their work. The Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Ruse has suspended work. The Consulate General of Bulgaria in Yekaterinburg is temporarily closed.

At the same time, Bulgaria's visa centers in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg (including regional visa centers) for "technical reasons" do not accept applications from Russians with payment of the consular fee from March 25, according to ATOR.

Now a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa or a multiple-entry national visa of Croatia, Romania or Cyprus is suitable for a trip to Bulgaria.

Earlier, Latvia indefinitely suspended the issuance of all visas for Russians. Before that, Estonia stopped issuing temporary residence permits and visas for education to Russian citizens. In addition, the country's government has amended the already imposed sanctions, according to which citizens of Russia and Belarus will be able to register short-term work in Estonia only if they have an Estonian visa.

The Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat sent a question to the European Commission (EC) about whether it is possible to ban the issuance of tourist visas to all Russians. The EC replied that the EU visa rules do not allow to stop it completely, it should always be possible to provide visas to certain groups.