The Russian government on Thursday ordered travel companies to provide refunds to Russians whose trips to the Middle East have been canceled due to the Iran war.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree directing travel companies to use cash in their liability reserves to ensure consumer refunds for trips to 10 Middle East countries that were supposed to take place between Feb. 28 and March 31.
Mishustin signed a second decree that allows companies to defer legally required contributions to their liability reserves in the first quarter of 2026 given the ongoing disruptions to global travel due to hostilities in the region. Companies can now make those payments between April 15 and June 15.
“We expect this measure to support the industry and help tens of thousands of our citizens whose trips were disrupted,” Mishustin said at a cabinet meeting.
Russian travel companies are estimated to have lost around 3 billion rubles ($37 million) in the first 10 days of the war in the Middle East as they scrambled to evacuate 46,000 people from the Persian Gulf region. Roughly half of those people purchased travel packages.
The Middle East has become a major travel destination for Russians in recent years, largely due to European restrictions on air travel to and from Russia, as well as bans on issuing tourist visas to Russian nationals.
According to the FSB border service, Russians made 13.4 million tourist trips abroad last year, including 4.6 million to Turkey and 1.7 million to the UAE, the country’s second-most popular destination.
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.
Remind me later.
