The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been causing a lot of trouble for a while now. Ukrainians are worried for their lives, and even Russians are being affected due to the sanctions put on Russia.
Furthermore, hundreds of Russian citizens have been helpless in foreign countries as flights are cancelled, and their credit cards won’t work either. Almost all major carriers have cancelled all their flights to Russia.
The twenty-seven EU member states plus Switzerland, Albania, Canada, Iceland, Norway, and the UK were the first countries to close their airspace to Russian carriers.
Bookings Holdings, one of the two largest travel sellers in the US, also removed all flights to Russia and Belarus from its website. In a statement, a company spokesperson said :
“We are deeply concerned about the devastating events unfolding in Ukraine and stand with all those who are suffering.”
Getting back to Russia for the stranded citizens isn’t impossible, though; there are still flights to Moscow from major airlines. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines-the middle eastern carriers with one of the largest networks in the world, still fly to Russia. Considering the widespread destinations they offer around the globe, getting back may not be so difficult. Airlines like Turkish airways still offer four flights to Moscow and two flights a day to St Petersburg.
Around 6500 Russian tourists were stranded in Thailand initially, although very few might be left now. Destinations like Pukhet are really popular among Russians, and with flights cancelled, they have to look for alternatives.
Thailand has been reportedly offering low-cost accommodation, and airlines are also working on getting passengers back. The suspension of Visa and MasterCard services in the Russian Federation has also caused a problem since cards issued by Russian banks aren’t of any use. Commenting on this, Air Serbia said:
“Due to the suspension of Visa and MasterCard services in the Russian Federation, card payments are currently not possible with cards issued by Russian banks. Air Serbia is working on finding an alternative option for online payments.”
