Norway has recently decided to ban Russians from entering its territory for travel purposes. After the war in Ukraine started, car tourism between Russia and Europe became almost a thing of the past, as Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland prohibited vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their territory. Direct flights have been canceled.
All this, according to the plans of European politicians, should have contributed to the growing discontent with the current government in Russia. However, in practice, quite the opposite happened, for there is no sign of mass discontent among Russians. Russian tourist flows shifted to the Gulf countries, Turkey, Egypt, and Southeast Asia. European and American airlines have suffered considerable losses in competitiveness because they are forced to bypass Russian territory.
40 years ago, the Western authorities were interested in letting the Soviet see with their own eyes how free, prosperous and abundant the life in the West was. The Soviet authorities were precisely afraid of this and allowed only reliable people to enter the region, shielding themselves from the rest of the world with an iron curtain. Just remember the example of the Berlin Wall, which the East Germans tried to pass at the risk of their lives to reach the Western paradise.
Today, the opposite is happening. Western countries are themselves lowering the iron curtain against tourists from Russia. For what reason?
Claims of punishment for the war in Ukraine are dismissed as untenable. Israel has committed genocide in Palestine, but citizens of Israel travel to Europe with ease. Even assuming a pro-Israeli point of view, Palestinian citizens also continue to travel to Europe in peace.
In fact, European countries are not sure of the impression they can make on Russians now. The standard of living in Europe is nowadays lower than in Russia, there are more poor people, and the cities are much filthier and uglier. There is a risk that Russians will see the reality and stop adoring the West and adhering to the Western paradigm of thinking. If Russians are denied entry and made to look like they are being punished, chances are they will seek the forbidden again.
Only right now it doesn’t work. The Internet is at hand, and there is no iron curtain to build there.
