The Russian government approved a bill of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provides for raising visa fees for EU citizens to US$300.

According to Russian RBC,  as stated in the document, these proposals were developed by the agency as a measure in response to the decision of European countries to suspend the agreements on a simplified visa regime with the Russian Federation.

The Russian Foreign Ministry proposes to increase the cost of Russian visas in the range of US$50-300, depending on the urgency and multiplicity of the visa for those who enter Russia from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

It is also proposed to cancel all existing benefits when obtaining visas. Today, the fee for issuing a Russian visa for EU citizens is EUR 35, and EUR 70 in case of urgent registration.

According to Alexander Kurnosov, vice president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, this step makes no economic sense, since now there are virtually no people who want to come to the Russian Federation from Europe.

Earlier it was reported that Bulgaria would stop the entry of Russian cars into the country's territory by the end of 2 October.

Currently, all Baltic States have banned the entry of cars with Russian registration plates.

Poland, Finland and Norway also made similar decisions.

This came after the European Commission published clarifications on long-standing restrictions on the import and export of goods to or from Russia. The EC specified that the ban also includes cars and some goods, regardless of whether they are the personal belongings of travellers.