Ukraine war and its aftermath: Thousands of Russians and Ukrainians are stuck in Thailand.
Due to the sanctions against Russia, most Russian airlines have severely restricted or even canceled their international routes. Of course, this also has consequences for the many Russian vacationers who were traveling around the world before the war in Ukraine began on February 24th, 2022.
Thousands of Russians were reported stranded in the Dominican Republic last week. And Thailand is also a popular holiday destination for Russian citizens. Authorities speak of several thousand Russian vacationers who are now in Thailand.
Russian airlines no longer fly to Thailand
Aeroflot and other Russian airlines have now completely suspended their Thailand flights due to western sanctions. For more than 3,000 Russians on Phuket, more than 2,000 Russians on Ko Samui and in other holiday regions of Thailand such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai or Bangkok, the return flight to Russia was canceled practically overnight.
Thai authorities continue to assume that over 1,000 Ukrainian vacationers are currently stuck in Thailand. Here, too, return flights to the home country are not possible. However, not because of sanctions, but because there are currently no safe airports in Ukraine.
However, unlike most Russian vacationers, Ukrainians still have the option of making payments by credit card.
Shuttle Bus Nathon Pier Ko Samui
Stranded in Thailand and no longer able to pay with credit card
Most Russians now stuck in Thailand tend to have two major problems at once. For one thing, they have no way of returning from Thailand to Russia. Replacement flights are currently not being offered by Russian airlines. But for most it gets even worse, at least for everyone who has a Russian Mastercard or Visa credit card. Because both credit card companies have ended their business in Russia. Foreign payments are therefore no longer possible. This means that not even a return flight can be booked at your own expense. Many Russians cannot pay for their hotel either because the card reader in the hotel or at the ATM no longer accepts Russian Mastercard and Visa credit cards.
Russian tourists important for Thailand’s tourism
The statistics also show that Thailand is very popular with Russian holidaymakers. According to this, in 2019 before Corona, over 1.5 million Russians vacationed in Thailand.
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