Ukrainian, Russian passengers among others stranded in Turkiye after flights' cancellation

By Kenan Irtak

ISTANBUL (AA) – Passengers from Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, and Belarus are stranded in Istanbul, Turkiye's largest city, on Thursday after flights to their respective destinations were canceled in the aftermath of Russia's intervention in Ukraine.

The majority of these passengers were spotted waiting for further information from international airlines at Istanbul International Airport and Sabiha Gokcen International Airport.

Sources told Anadolu Agency that some of them are hoping to travel to alternative destinations, while others are waiting to explore other choices, and many are staying in hotels provided by their airlines.

Flights to Rostov, Krasnodar, Perm, Minsk, and Chisinau have been canceled, however, Turkish Airlines and Pegasus have announced that passengers will receive a full refund.

One of the Ukrainian passengers, Ruslan Lomovytskyi, stated he and his family traveled to Sri Lanka for a holiday and then intended to travel to Kyiv via Istanbul.

"Russia attacked our country," Lomovytskyi said, noting that they stayed at Istanbul Airport due to flight cancellations.

"That is why we chose to stay here. We're trying to change our tickets so that we can travel to Poland," he said.

They would attempt to travel to their city by train from Warsaw, Poland's capital, but this will depend on the situation, he added.

Anna Shcherbakova, a Russian tourist who arrived in Turkiye, sought help from her country in order to return home.

"We are hoping that the Russian government will facilitate us in returning to our country. We do not wanted to stay here. We tried getting information from the airline representative but were unsuccessful. Please help Russian tourists such as ourselves in returning home," she said.

Russia has launched a military operation in Ukraine and is targeting key areas in cities with weapons and missiles, according to reports.

On early Thursday, explosions were reported in several Ukrainian provinces, including the capital Kyiv, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in the Donbas region.​​​​​​​