“Unbearable.” That’s how a member of Finland’s parliament describes the sight of Russian tourists pouring across the border, stocking up on souvenirs while Vladimir Putin’s army bombs Ukraine.

Worse, the fact that some of the tourists travel on into the European Union’s visa-free Schengen zone seems to undermine a sanctions net that’s closed in on oligarch superyachts, golden passports and flights from Russia. Data from insurer Rosgosstrakh PJSC show EU destinations accounted for 25 per cent of their online travel insurance contracts in June and July, with Spain and Italy in the top three, according to Russian Travel Digest.

Bloomberg Opinion