War in Ukraine: “Blocked” European tourists at Moscow airport – Risk of being without a visa

European tourists stranded, in danger of being found without visaforeign students or Russians who want to leave their country for work or vacation: in the middle of Ukrainian crisismany passengers at Moscow airport face a puzzle, trying to find a solution.

Russia has said it bans flights from 36-nation airlines in retaliation for the closure of several states’ airspace for Russian planes over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Among these countries are all EU members, Britain and Canada. Many countries, such as France and the United States, had warned their citizens to leave the country without delay. Russiaso as not to be excluded there.

In Domodedovo, one of the three major airports serving the Russian capital, the table shows in red many canceled flights to various destinations. Most passengers go to other cities in Russia, such as Sochi or Novosibirsk, others in countries that have good relations with Moscow, such as Armenia and Azerbaijan, and are therefore not affected by the bans.

But Davy Ramos, a 35-year-old Brazilian, is not one of the lucky ones: “Yesterday we would take the plane to Paris and from there we would return to Brazil. “But in the middle of the flight we had to go back,” he explained, patiently waiting in line at the huge Emirates counter. «I had to make another reservation and now we will go to Brazil via Dubai “, he said.

Andrei, a 33-year-old coach, also plans to cross from Dubai to Spain. The flight ban in Europe “caused him a problem “, says. “I should have left in the morning but I could not. The flight was direct. So now, the trip will last more than 20 hours, there are difficulties “.

For Jorge Enrique Rojas Moreno, a Spanish lawyer who vacationed in Russia with about a dozen of his compatriots, the situation has turned into a puzzle: their direct flight has been canceled and their visa expires tonight. «“If we do not manage to leave Russia we will have a huge problem.” he said, explaining that he tried in vain to find tickets to other destinations, while his communication with the Spanish embassy in Moscow did not work either. “I think the European authorities have made a hasty decision to close the airspace without first (…) evicting European citizens. “Because I am a European citizen,” he said angrily. Next to him, his compatriots seem to have reached their limits and a woman is crying with tears.

Another passenger, who only states that he is “Russian, 55 years old”, said that he “completely agrees with the cancellation of the flights of European companies” and even demands “the complete exclusion”. «I hope European leaders will have… how to say it politely… “They will be able to turn these sanctions into real sanctions so that this absolutely criminal (Russian) power ceases to exist,” he concluded.