Russian Tourists Struggle to Leave Thailand Amid Russia-Ukraine Crisis

[olfu]

2 hours ago, Stygge said:

I´m really inspired to solve this problem of our russian friends stuck in paradise.
They long to get home to take up arms and fight off the aggressive ukranians or to start cultivating turnips for their future diet.

I understand flights to Syria are open and going. Since Syria is a russian protectorate and Russia recently practised bombing the city Aleppo to gravel they have many friends there. Putin just called upon his islamist friends to come and fight in Ukraine. Their brutality against civilians is dearly needed. They are currently flown from Syria to Russia. Why not fly our bewildered friends to Syria and from there they can catch a ride with the islamist fighters going to Russia/Ukraine? It´s a cost effective way to bring them home to their Fatherland.

 

I like your sense of humor.

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, Blumpie said:

These guys are hooped - with their currency literally the price of toilet paper, how does one afford a flight out of thailand?  Or even eat?  

I don't wish this on anyone.  

Putin could send some military aircraft and evacuate them easily.

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thousands of Russian tourists in Thailand are reportedly struggling to find a way home, as international sanctions imposed over the Russia-Ukraine crisis hit holidaymakers.

Thousands ????

[dlclark97]

32 minutes ago, RichardL said:

It never ceased to amaze me, the amount of Russian couples where the girl looks like a model (and spends all of her time posing like one) and the guy looks like a murderer.

That said, the few Russians I've sat down and chatted to (more in Nha Trang than in Thailand - and in Russia) have been decent people. I didn't get the impression that many of them were running the country though, or rich, for that matter. As one guy said to me "In Siberia, we have snow, cold, and bears, so I come to Vietnam"

Glad to see the general Russian population being defended, they are not the ones who want war.  On a SCUBA trip 3-4 years ago my wife and I were living several days on a dive boat with 6 Russian people.  We were able to have many enjoyable and enlightening discussions and we would be happy to travel with them again.   

[Letseng]

8 hours ago, baboon said:

Your post sounds a bit cruel, but perhaps I am getting the wrong end of the stick.

Why not just leave them be until there is an agreement between Thailand and the Russian Federation as to what should be done?

Who pays for the keep? There are plenty Thai people who deserve free meals & housing. If a country like Russia cannot evacuate a few thousand ppl how do they want to win a war?

[wensiensheng]

12 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

It is a condition of entry into Thailand that you have a ticket out of the country, a return ticket is the normal way to satisfy this requirement.

 

That airlines servicing the Russian market are cancelling flights says a lot of their expectations of recouping costs. A state sponsored  repatriation flight is often the norm in these sort of situations, unfortunately those who could make the needed decisions are focused on other events.

 

Those stuck in Thailand are suffering a number of issues beyond their control, they cannot get access to their funds, their currency has become almost worthless and no one wants to take them home. All caused by decisions made by those in power.

 

I hope they remember this when they get home.

Your first sentence is presumably in response to the posters statement that Russian tourists can’t afford a flight home because the ruble has fallen.

 

he is correct, and your statement superfluous because, yes, prior to arrival in Thailand the tourists will have a flight home booked. But as you then go on to point out in your second paragraph, those flights are pretty much all being cancelled. Hence the need to buy a second return ticket and hence the problem of their rubles being worth much less, even assuming they can access their funds.

Edited March 15, 2022 by wensiensheng

[Letseng]

10 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Putin could send some military aircraft and evacuate them easily.

If they hadn't destroyed this large Antonov it would have just needed one flight ????

[stigar]

they can walk home in the walk of shame.This russians have money and they just use an accuse to not go back home.

[wensiensheng]

10 minutes ago, dlclark97 said:

Glad to see the general Russian population being defended, they are not the ones who want war.  On a SCUBA trip 3-4 years ago my wife and I were living several days on a dive boat with 6 Russian people.  We were able to have many enjoyable and enlightening discussions and we would be happy to travel with them again.   

Who are the Russian individuals currently committing war crimes in Ukraine then? The privates, corporals and sergeants. Aren’t they normal Russian people?

 

are they going to say that they were only following orders? Because that excuse rings a bell from another era dominated by Hitlers thugs.

 

not saying the Russian people as a whole aren’t decent folk, just that it isn’t Putin pulling the triggers on rifles in Ukraine or aiming artillery at apartment buildings and hospitals. Normal Russian people in uniforms are doing it and they should stop.

[Time Traveller]

12 hours ago, Will B Good said:

Because they don't give a flying.............for their own

So you mean just like how overseas Australians were treated for the last 2 years by their own government?

[Gottfrid]

13 hours ago, Blumpie said:

These guys are hooped - with their currency literally the price of toilet paper, how does one afford a flight out of thailand?  Or even eat?  

I don't wish this on anyone.  

You don´t know that people need a return flight when entering Thailand? Apparently they already could afford id and have paid for it.

Also, you are talking about poor Russians. This is not the case here. The divide between economical cracks in Russia is so big. In reality there is only rich Russians and poor Russians, and the poor ones never have a chance to afford a trip.

[arithai12]

28 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

These Russians still with Russian passports and not claimed asylum elsewhere have lived and been quite happy with Putin. They are now wanting sympathy for being stuck. Let them rot. Sorry, but if you are willing to go along with the mad man when the times are good then stuff you when they are bad. There was nothing stopping them from claiming asylum elsewhere and getting new passports and living in Thailand but they decided not to. The writing has been on the cards with Putin for years and they all just ignored it and went along happy with their lives. 

So I guess you gave up your UK passport when your country invaded Iraq on false pretenses just to kiss the USA's backside as usual, and caused untold numbers of death and destruction and sorrow in a country which was not even remotely bordering and caused no direct threat.

(ps: I am assuming you are Brit if my memory serves me right, if not please accept my apology)

[pomchop]

Maybe the TAT junket gang that is flying off for a tourism convention in Moscow tomorrow can give up their seats rather than go to Moscow for a convention that few if any other countries will attend to promote tourism to people who can't get to Thailabd , have no working currency, or credit cards?

[steven100]

Go to hell Russia,   call the embassy and have one of your Oligarchs send a few yachts over to pick you up. 

[JayBird]

13 hours ago, Letseng said:

Why can't Russian government fly them out? Thai airspace isn't closed to flights from Russia.

They don't care?

[juice777]

13 hours ago, pixelaoffy said:

Maybe russian gov isn't interested in it's people .. remember it's not exactly an open free country . Run by ex Soviet  KGB agents 

No such thing as an ex KGB agent according to Putin

[stupidfarang]

There are many normal Russian people who are against this war, but not easy to speak out in Russia as we have all seen. Demonstrators are arrested and taken away as has been seen on the news. I appluade Marina Ovsyannikova an editor at Russian Tv Channel 1 who went on live TV and stood behind the news reader today with a sign condemming the war. Sadly I think we will not see her again for a long time. Then there are many ordinary Russians fleeing their country as they fear a return to the old ways of the Sarlin era.

Here in Thailand we have Russins living here and one I know of from personal experince is a news reporter and a very strong supporter of Putin and is commenting on posts saying false this false that, I would like to see these Putin lovers deported back to their beloved country and then see if they still sing the same tune

 

[JBChiangRai]

I’m happy to commit 1,000 pounds to a go fund me page ….

to anyone who assassinates Putin

[Joules]

Putin obviously does not care for his stranded citizens.  If he did, he would order Aeroflot to take whatever round about route was needed to evacuate stranded Russian tourists around the world.  They are stranded through no fault of their own.   But they MUST take responsibility for their leader.  I hope they have brains enough to remember that their war criminal abandoned them.

[Joules]

6 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I’m happy to commit 1,000 pounds to a go fund me page ….

to anyone who assassinates Putin

Why do I have a feeling that RimLicker will bump this one?

[wensiensheng]

34 minutes ago, arithai12 said:

So I guess you gave up your UK passport when your country invaded Iraq on false pretenses just to kiss the USA's backside as usual, and caused untold numbers of death and destruction and sorrow in a country which was not even remotely bordering and caused no direct threat.

(ps: I am assuming you are Brit if my memory serves me right, if not please accept my apology)

Funny you should say that. Because I did exactly that. Not so much because of the invasion of Iraq, that was just a mistake based on faulty/doctored intelligence and mistakes DO happen. But the fact that the serving  British PM did not resign over over a mistake that cost British servicemen their lives (and of course Iraqi citizens) made me take the plunge and renounce my British citizenship. 
 

To get back to the topic, Russian troops should desert if they have any conscience. Yes they would be betraying their country, but what sort of country do they want to be a part of? By staying and fighting they support Putin.

[MrJ2U]

13 hours ago, Letseng said:

Why can't Russian government fly them out? Thai airspace isn't closed to flights from Russia.

Good question.

 

With McDonald's closing all its restaurants in Russia many probably would prefer to stay.

[Henryford]

I would start a whip round to pay for their travel home if they promise never to come back.

[Srikcir]

Putin will not help stranded Russian tourists as then it would be an admission that sanctions work and bad public optic for Putin.

[Bangkok Barry]

7 hours ago, baboon said:

I don't know. But the Thai government are wallowing in foreign cash, so why not spend a fraction of it assisting human beings in distress through no fault of their own?

You mean like they've helped their own people through the pandemic?

[Peterphuket]

14 hours ago, pixelaoffy said:

Maybe russian gov isn't interested in it's people .. remember it's not exactly an open free country . Run by ex Soviet  KGB agents 

Is there any government who is interested in its own people, except for paying taxes.

[jesimps]

13 hours ago, Chang_paarp said:

It is a condition of entry into Thailand that you have a ticket out of the country, a return ticket is the normal way to satisfy this requirement.

 

That airlines servicing the Russian market are cancelling flights says a lot of their expectations of recouping costs. A state sponsored  repatriation flight is often the norm in these sort of situations, unfortunately those who could make the needed decisions are focused on other events.

 

Those stuck in Thailand are suffering a number of issues beyond their control, they cannot get access to their funds, their currency has become almost worthless and no one wants to take them home. All caused by decisions made by those in power.

 

I hope they remember this when they get home.

They'll still support the rat-faced midget.

[toho]

Imperialistic Russia, run by billionaire dr. Evil and some oligarchs. Russia invaded a democratic neighbouring country. Russia has an embassy here, that has to follow the policy of its leaders in the Kremlin. Let these criminals sort it out themselves how to help their beloved citizens. I help enough people here, but will not assist any Russian or buy from a Russian shop. I know, also good Russians, but I have had it. Everybody gets the government, they deserve. Let them feel the consequences.

[SiSePuede419]

Wait.  They want to leave paradise and go back to Moscow in winter?

[Karma80]

1 hour ago, wensiensheng said:

Who are the Russian individuals currently committing war crimes in Ukraine then? The privates, corporals and sergeants. Aren’t they normal Russian people?

 

are they going to say that they were only following orders? Because that excuse rings a bell from another era dominated by Hitlers thugs.

 

not saying the Russian people as a whole aren’t decent folk, just that it isn’t Putin pulling the triggers on rifles in Ukraine or aiming artillery at apartment buildings and hospitals. Normal Russian people in uniforms are doing it and they should stop.

Indeed. I'm pretty sure the Russian police who have carted off 15,000 people, including children, for daring to hold up a card saying no war are all citizens. You don't get a free pass because you're not personally in the military and killing civilians.