Originally Posted by
warakorn
There is a huge difference between an explicit requirement and a requirement to produce a plausible story.
The traveler is supposed to have sufficient evidence to the satisfaction of the immigration officer, not just a "plausible story". The fact the legislation does not purport to exhaustively and definitively list what evidence is acceptable does not mean that there is no requirement to have any documentary evidence beyond a "plausible story".
The airline won't be fined. The foreigner must have plausible proof how he intends to leave Schengen in time (an onward ticket to Russia + a plausible story on how to obtain a visa would suffice).
If the immigration authorities have issued an interpretive notice specifying which evidence they will regard as appropriate, the airline may well be fined if it lets through without consulting the immigration authorities an individual merely that person has a "plausible story" and that individual is then denied entry because the immigration officer is not satisfied.
Again, we simply do not have enough information here. The boarding denial in this situation is troubling enough to warrant further investigation. But I do not think that we can come to a firm conclusion.