A family in the passage of the Domodedovo airport terminal. Archival photoMOSCOW, Feb. 28 Tourists in European countries that closed the airspace for Russian aircraft are planned to be returned home in transit through third countries, including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, RIA Novosti was told by vice- President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT) Dmitry Gorin. Earlier, the Foreign Ministers of the EU countries approved another package of sanctions against Moscow due to a special military operation in Ukraine, banning Russian aircraft from entering EU airspace. The decision will enter into force after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
"Due to the closure of air traffic, tour operators are now solving with Rostourism the issue of transporting 400 independent and organized tourists from Budapest, Hungary, 500 organized tourists from Bulgaria and about 200 from Portuguese Madeira. Now Russian tourists are also in the UK, Slovenia and Austria. Transit flights through third countries are being considered, including the cities of Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Cairo, as well as other open countries", Gorin said.
He noted that due to the uncertainty and unstable situation in the world, Russian tourists have taken a wait-and-see attitude. «Tourists ask a lot of questions to travel companies. Sales have declined significantly. to an increase in the cost of vouchers,» said the vice-president of the PCT. However, Gorin recalled that such destinations as Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Maldives and Thailand remain open for Russians.
On February 21, in response to the appeals of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics with a request to recognize their sovereignty, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the relevant decrees, and on February 24 announced the start of a special military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine. The head of state called it the goal of protecting the inhabitants of the DPR and LPR, who have been subjected to genocide for eight years. He stressed that Russia is not going to occupy a neighboring country. The President called on the Ukrainian military not to follow criminal orders, lay down their arms and go home. According to Putin, all responsibility for the bloodshed will be on the conscience of the Kiev regime. The Ministry of Defense stressed that they do not strike at civilian targets on the territory of Ukraine — only at the military infrastructure; nothing threatens the civilian population.Situation development — in the online report >>
Disarm and defuse: demilitarization of UkrainePosted: Nikita Stoma