The announcement was made by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Monday, as reported by Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
“Starting from April 9, we are lifting restrictions set for combating coronavirus pandemic, which applied to our regular and charter flights between Russia and a number of other countries,” Mishustin said.
“Now, we are resuming flights with 52 countries, including Argentina, India, China, South Africa, and other friendly states.”
Also included are Afghanistan, Algeria, Israel, Lebanon, North Korea, Peru, Pakistan, Syria, and Turkey, among others. The announcement also included provisions for opening the land border between Russia and China, as the latter country has become increasingly economically and strategically crucial to an increasingly isolated President Vladimir Putin.
In March 2020, Russia introduced a multitude of restrictions designed to stop the spread of the CCP virus, including heavy restrictions on foreign travel. The country has been repealing these measures piece-by-piece in the ensuing years, but the re-opening of the Russian economy has been overshadowed by the country’s aggressive policy towards Ukraine, which broke out into full-blown war on Feb. 24 after months of escalating tensions.
Notably absent from the list of countries where Russians may now travel freely are the 27 member states of the European Union, no doubt on account of the sanctions these nations have levied against Russia in response to the war in Ukraine.
Additionally, the new policy restricts Russian airlines from buying plane parts or maintenance services from Western Europe and the United States, in an effort to punish the Western bloc for bans on Russian aircraft using North American and European airspace.
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