Moroccan Students Stranded as Direct Flights to Russia Suspended, Seek Government Aid

In a statement to Hespress, Mohamed Atari, a second-year medical student in Russia, denounced the "sudden decision" to suspend direct flights between the two countries and said that "Russia has banned arrivals by indirect flights". This situation prevents him from joining the country of Vladimir Putin this month as he had planned. Noting that the exceptional flights set up on Sundays have already all been booked and that the prices charged are exorbitant, Mohammed calls for the establishment of exceptional flights at "reasonable prices".

Like him, there are many Moroccan students stranded in Morocco following the suspension of flights to Russia. "We want to join our universities, we want a solution that allows us to continue our studies," pleads Asmaa Botouja, a first-year medical student. In this sense, she calls on the Moroccan authorities, the Russian consulate in Morocco and the Moroccan embassy in Moscow to review the decision "because of the damage caused to Moroccan students, not only financially but also in terms of their studies".

In a post on its Facebook page, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Morocco had announced the suspension by the Moroccan authorities of direct flights between Morocco and Russia from October 5, 2021, until further notice. "However, flights in transit through third countries are not subject to these restrictions," it specified, inviting passengers of canceled direct flights to take this information into account. The decision is justified by the worrying health situation in Russia.