"On 16 August, the Federal Council decided to enact further sanctions against Russia. This aligns Switzerland with the EU, which adopted these latest measures as part of its eleventh package of sanctions. The new measures take effect at 6pm on Wednesday, 16 August. More than one hundred additional individuals and entities were already added to the sanctions list on 28 June," the Federal Council said in a statement.
The Swiss government specified that it would not issue Schengen visas to people with Russian passports resident in former Ukrainian regions that are now part of Russia, as well as in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
"Persons from the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine and the breakaway regions of Georgia cannot obtain a Schengen visa and cross external Schengen borders with travel documents issued by Russia. The Federal Council adopted this regulation at its meeting on August 16, 2023," the government noted.
In June, the Council of the European Union announced that it had adopted the 11th package of sanctions against Russia aimed at strengthening the existing restrictions and preventing their circumvention. Additionally, the EU expanded sanctions against Russian media, banning broadcasting of five more channels, as well as halted the import of Russian oil through the Northern branch of the Druzhba pipeline and certain types of machinery components.