WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2020) There have not been enough evacuation applications from Russian nationals stranded in the United States due to the COVID-19 related border restrictions to fill even one flight, although the Russian civil aviation authority stands ready to resume repatriation, Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador in the US, said on Tuesday.
"The interdepartmental working group affiliated to Rosaviatsiya [the Federal Air Transport Agency], which coordinates the return of Russian nationals from abroad, has confirmed its intention to resume evacuation flights. At the same time, Moscow has to know the real number of Russians actually planning to return home," Antonov said on Facebook in response to a journalist's question about how things are with Russian nationals who were unable to leave the US due to border restrictions.
Russian nationals stranded abroad over COVID-19 have been asked to register on the e-government portal, gosuslugi.ru, where they can apply for repatriation.
According to Ambassador Antonov, "there have clearly not been enough applications for even one aircraft."
Russia has temporarily closed its borders for international air traffic as a means to avert the spread of COVID-19. Last Friday, Rosaviatsiya suspended chartered evacuation flights. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova later said it was for the Russian government to take a short break to determine the number, location and destination of all nationals stranded abroad and figure out the optimal arrangement for their repatriation.
