Russian Public Opinion Research Center: 77% of Russians have not been abroad in the past five years

According to the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, most Russians (77%) have not traveled outside their country in the past five years.

TASS published the results of the Center's survey, which stated that, "In the last five years, 23% of our fellow citizens have traveled abroad. Of those, only 9% visited Schengen countries - Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and others. Twice as many (17%) visited countries where a visa is not required."

Turkey was the most visited country. 8% of survey respondents said they had been there in the previous five years.

According to sociologists, only 29% of Russians currently have a passport, and only 2% of them have a Schengen visa. 70% of respondents have neither a passport nor a Schengen visa.

Every eighth Russian - 12% - plans to get or renew their passport in the near future. Only 1% of respondents said they intended to apply for a Schengen visa.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine a number of European countries have stopped issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russians. In September, the European Union suspended an agreement with Russia on the simplified issuance of visas. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland have imposed an entry ban on Russian tourists.