Any advice for my Ukrainian friend currently stuck at SVO?

[Doll]

Misha and others are absolutely correct in noting that a RF passport for the son most certainly lines him up for potential military service via the compulsory draft. He could be forced to serve if entering the RF when at the time of draft age, or years later he could be detained for failing to serve when he was eligible.

it is garbage and you know that
Had the boy a visa there would be no problem


The boy lives in the USA and can't be taken to the military
Те же наперстки,

[Doll]

I am guessing that she anticipated a "window" of time, short of course, for the son to be considered "in transit" while en route to Crimea.

The Russian authorities have confused the issue on travel to Crimea unfortunately. If you look at statements immediately after the annexation, Russian authorities were (and still are) desperate for tourism to prop up a sinking local economy after the business and banking cycles had been seriously disrupted. Authorities communicated the idea that Crimea was open for business, especially to Russians, and hinted at ease of entry, although in typical Russian bureaucratic fashion did not bother to provide much in the way of details.

Not long after the annexation I called the local migration office in Sevastopol and asked for clarification. I claimed that two friends, one based in the USA and the other from the UK, wanted to visit Crimea. The scenario was to see if there would be any differences between the USA and/or a EU country with a history of visiting Russia. I asked the officer if a RF visa was required for these two imaginary friends to visit Crimea? "Of course," was the reply.

While true that Russian authorities have thoroughly confused the issue in their repeatedly blundering attempts to lure tourism back to Crimea, any good Russian citizen would also have to know the special status granted to the city of Sevastopol. Since the annexation it was declared to be a "Federal City" of which there are only three: Moscow, St Petersburg, and now Sevastopol. A federal city is similar to a self-governing city-state and thus while Sevastopol sits within the Crimea Federal District, it is both separate and above the region in terms of pecking order. Anyone who knows about such status would almost have to understand that a Russian visa would therefore be the norm.

100% garbage


The child should have visa, that' s all

[Shadow]

correct
That's why i think the OP is scam

While the airline should have caught this, at the same time the international situation rgarding Crimea might have contributed to the mistake of the airline. If the destination Crimea is listed as ´Ukraine´ for the airline, there might not be a notice that russian visa applies, and there for the SVO would be seen as normal out-of-country transit.

[Doll]

While the airline should have caught this, at the same time the international situation rgarding Crimea might have contributed to the mistake of the airline. If the destination Crimea is listed as ´Ukraine´ for the airline, there might not be a notice that russian visa applies, and there for the SVO would be seen as normal out-of-country transit.

already in March the " destination" was Russia
cami posted about it in spring

[AC]

What does the Russian government have to do with her being that stupid!
Putin is to blame she lost her mind and did not think of her child?

 

If she is of Russian heritage, then she doesn't have to read or look at anything.  They are a superior people who know everything.

[mendeleyev]

100% garbage

Prove it.

I'm sure that logs are kept of calls.

[Doll]

Prove it.

I'm sure that logs are kept of calls.

it is easy- the "confusion" you were talking of might happen in spring but the woman it sitting in SVO NOW
She knew Americans needed visas to Russia (always  btw)
So what does the Russian Government do wrong?after almost a year since this territory is Russian?
Хотите грамотно позлобствовать на благодарную публику? Ну валяйте

[mendeleyev]

My post, which you labeled as 100% garbage, didn't say that the government did anything wrong.

Now, when challenged to back up your statement, you seem to agree that there was confusion.

Welcome, to the correct side of things. I hope you stay awhile. 

[sleepycat]

So what does the Russian Government do wrong?after almost a year since this territory is Russian?

Name the countries in this world that actually recognises Crimea as Russian territory...

[AC]

Name the countries in this world that actually recognises Crimea as Russian territory...

More importantly Visa and MasterCard don't.  Their economy will suffer until they give it back.

[roykirk]

correct
That's why i think the OP is scam

I've been here a very long time, so I can assure you that my post was not a scam.  She's in Kiev now and so I haven't heard back from the e-mail I sent asking how/why the airline let her board to begin with.  My hunch is that she actually bought her initial tickets to Kiev, thinking she would buy a ticket to Crimea once she got to Moscow and looked at schedules and coordinated with friends and family.  Of course a Ukrainian passport holder buying a ticket to Kiev thru Moscow wouldn't cause any issues (unless her son was required a RF visa for even transiting thru SVO?).  But when she got to SVO and went to buy onward tickets from Kiev to Crimea, she got the unwelcome news.  This is based on what I'm piecing together.  Whatever the cause, it's clearly her fault that she didn't think things through. 

[jone]

Roykirk,

As a novice of buying tickets like a native, is there a substantial difference in price to get a ticket from Russia to Kyiv if you are a native of the FSU?  Or are there non-Western outlets of tickets that I am not familiar with?

Something you said about buying a ticket in Moscow for Crimea or for Kyiv set off this inquiry.

[southernX]

I don't see how the child was allowed to enter Russian Federation with a USA passport and no Russian visa? The airline should have caught this!
 

in theory yes , but in actual practice it happens far more often than people think that a person will be allowed to board and fly without the correct visa or no visa or even a passport

years ago i spent time with a guy from belgium and several iranians who where being held like me for not having the proper docs on entering a country ,
the belgium guy had no passport on him ,he was allowed to board like that in the EU & fly  ??  the iranians had no visas ,

airlines do there best , but often its the language or they just dont check correctly 
with visa lables /e visas  and biometric passports it should happen less

 usually your sent back to where you came from at the airlines expense or yours , but it will depend on your nationality & docs , the country you arrive in & how they handle it locally 

SX

[roykirk]

Roykirk,

As a novice of buying tickets like a native, is there a substantial difference in price to get a ticket from Russia to Kyiv if you are a native of the FSU?  Or are there non-Western outlets of tickets that I am not familiar with?

Something you said about buying a ticket in Moscow for Crimea or for Kyiv set off this inquiry.

I have no definitive answers, only anecdotal observations.  I know in other countries it's quite common for locals to be able to get cheaper airline tickets, hotel rooms, etc, then it is for someone from a foreign country.  I know when my mother-in-law travels here from Siberia she's able to get tickets for about $300-$400 cheaper then I can going the reverse route to Siberia. 

[Misha]

Of course a Ukrainian passport holder buying a ticket to Kiev thru Moscow wouldn't cause any issues (unless her son was required a RF visa for even transiting thru SVO?).   

You can't go directly from an international flight to an internal flight. For example, when we flew to my wife's city from Germany, we had to go through passport control at St. Petersburg, go through customs, and then we had to check-in for our flight to my wife's city. A Ukrainian citizen flying to Crimea would still have to go through passport control in Moscow when flying in form Kyiv and this before getting onto any plane to Crimea.

[Shadow]

in theory yes , but in actual practice it happens far more often than people think that a person will be allowed to board and fly without the correct visa or no visa or even a passport

years ago i spent time with a guy from belgium and several iranians who where being held like me for not having the proper docs on entering a country ,
the belgium guy had no passport on him ,he was allowed to board like that in the EU & fly  ??  the iranians had no visas ,

airlines do there best , but often its the language or they just dont check correctly 
with visa lables /e visas  and biometric passports it should happen less

 usually your sent back to where you came from at the airlines expense or yours , but it will depend on your nationality & docs , the country you arrive in & how they handle it locally 

SX

Within the Shengen area there is no passport control. If you do the computer check-in you will get a boarding pass and nobody will ask for a passport. Though after some terrorist threats they have now changed this procedure.

[Doll]

Name the countries in this world that actually recognises Crimea as Russian territory...

Then let  them live in SVO forever
RF recognize it Russia so you need to have a visa

[Misha]

Within the Shengen area there is no passport control. If you do the computer check-in you will get a boarding pass and nobody will ask for a passport. Though after some terrorist threats they have now changed this procedure.

[/size][size=78%]There is no passport control for those who are citizens of a EU state. Flying from Bremen to Dublin this year, we had to show our passports when checking in as we were Canadian citizens.[/size]

[Doll]

There is no way this woman did not know she was going to Russia-- see could not listen to the radio but she  has her parents in Crimea.
Plus  there is no way she can get stuck in SVO just because she would not be boarded to


 go 
Moscow
It is scam
Also tell me how US people don' t have $ 100

[Doll]

If she is of Russian heritage, then she doesn't have to read or look at anything.  They are a superior people who know everything.

Bs
What counts is the citizenship
So the girl was ignorant for a year and now she is smart enough to ask for money?
Helloooooo
I agree to $80 to get out of S V O)))))

[Doll]

I think she'll eventually see she has only herself to blame, but right she's just enraged.  How dare Russia tell her that she can't go back to her home in Crimea?  I can see how it could happen, however, so I have trouble being too harsh on her.  She's been going there with her son ever couple of years for many years.  When it was Ukraine, there were no issues and he didn't need a visa.  I think as she planned this trip she just sort of thought that everything was still the same and didn't stop to think that there might be problems getting her son in.

How dare what? She had enough time to contact Russia Embassy
How dare you when you are planning the  trip with a young child to no check what you need for this trip
Rules are rules
Oh pleeeeeaaaasse $ 100 for what?

[Shadow]

How dare what? She had enough time to contact Russia Embassy
How dare you when you are planning the  trip with a young child to no check what you need for this trip
Rules are rules
Oh pleeeeeaaaasse $ 100 for what?

Changing the flight plan. If she booked a cheap ticket that would be normal.

[Shadow]

[size=78%]There is no passport control for those who are citizens of a EU state. Flying from Bremen to Dublin this year, we had to show our passports when checking in as we were Canadian citizens.[/size]

Inside Schengen there is no passport control for anyone, regerdless of citizenship.
However either during check-in or boarding a proof of identity is nowadays required.

[Doll]

Changing the flight plan. If she booked a cheap ticket that would be normal.

We don not know thAT
How dare was about her Russian haritage
Pleeeeeeasse

[Doll]

Inside Schengen there is no passport control for anyone, regerdless of citizenship.
However either during check-in or boarding a proof of identity is nowadays required.

One more time- her parents live in Cimea which is Russia with its iow passports rules- you like it or not
She knew it so   OP is scam