Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Tourists Trapped in Europe Amid Canceled Flights, Closing Borders

Several European countries have shut their borders. Aleksandr Avylov / Moskva News Agency

Russian tourists in Europe have found themselves trapped abroad as flights have been canceled and borders closed due to the coronavirus crisis, a spokeswoman for Russia’s travel industry union told Interfax on Tuesday.

Russia suspended most flights to and from Europe to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus from Monday. At the same time, several European countries have shut their borders, preventing anyone from leaving or entering.

"Russian tourists in Europe are left to their own devices and are asked to return home, but this is not easy — most of the remaining flights either have no seats or their ticket prices have risen several times,” spokeswoman Irina Tyurina said.

Tyurina estimated that there are hundreds of Russian tourists currently stranded in Europe, adding that Russia’s Federal Tourist Agency (Rostourism) hasn’t released official numbers.

“They are already being kicked out of some hotels, because there is no one else there, only Russians,” she told the Business FM news outlet. “There are even examples of [the hotels] feeding guests with dry rations because the kitchen has already been closed.”

According to Tyurina, the situation is most acute in the Czech Republic, which was one of the first European countries to shut its border. Russian national carrier Aeroflot will suspend its flights to Prague on Thursday.

She advised Russian tourists to contact Russia’s Turpomosch tourist assistance association and called on the Foreign Affairs Ministry to ramp up its efforts to help Russians trapped abroad, as it has the authority to solve problems at an interstate level.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday that thousands of Russians are currently stuck abroad due to the coronavirus, adding that Russia’s embassies are working “around the clock” to bring them home.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more