Estonia stops issuing visas, residence permits for Russian students

Estonia on Thursday announced it would no longer issue visas or residence permits for Russian citizens wanting to study in the small Baltic country.

The foreign ministry order also ends the practice of granting the right to short-term work to Russians or citizens of ally Belarus who had secured a visa from another European Union state. Estonia belongs to the 27-nation bloc.

"The continuation of sanctions against Russia is essential to ensuring relentless pressure on the country," Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in a statement.