Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, nearly 50,000 Russian nationals have visited Croatia, and slightly over 7,000 are currently staying in the country, state news agency Hina said on Friday, citing an article published by Vecernji List daily.

“Although the number of Russian visitors is slightly lower than at this time last year, they have continued to visit, ignoring the fact that their government has declared Croatia a hostile state. Since there are no flights from Russia to any destination in the European Union, they come via Serbia or Turkey,” Hina said.

Vecernji List noted that since the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, more Russians have visited Croatia than Ukrainian refugees, whose number is estimated at 20,000.

Russians, except those who are under EU sanctions, can travel to the EU as usual, and can use their properties in Croatia. They need a valid visa issued by all EU states, including by the Croatian Consulate in Russia, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs confirmed to Vecernji List.

The issue of visas for Russian travelers will be a topic discussed later this month at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in the Czech Republic, the current president of the European Union, the newspaper said.