OME—March 1 was supposed to herald the return of wealthy Russian tourists to much of Europe. The lifting of travel restrictions for those coming from non-European Union countries and the acceptance of a negative COVID test instead of vaccines was a reason to celebrate for those Sputnik-vaxxed Russians whose jabs are not recognized in the EU.
Usmanov’s giant private jet, which has its own dedicated hangar in the local airport, is also missing. The jet is so big the tail is often spotted jutting from the structure. But it hasn’t been seen for months, locals say.Getty Images Malta, which is not exactly Sardinia, will also suffer the loss of Russians, many of whom invested heavily on the European island in exchange for European passports. Those documents will mean Russian dual nationals can hide out on the island, but at the present moment there is no valid way to get there.
Cuba has long been a safe haven for Russian tourists, and is also already feeling the crunch with many who had booked spring holidays now canceling, mostly due to Canada closing its airspace to Russian flights. Some people who are stuck in Cuba have had to resort to taking the long way home, crossing to Turkey, Egypt, UAE and Vietnam, which have not yet closed off air space to Russian carriers.
It'll affect us all in Europe, some more than others and the question would be, is it worth it? Yeah, it's fucking worth it.
oh well