Russians use Belarus loophole to sidestep travel ban and head for the Med

Russian holidaymakers seeking to beat one of the world’s strictest travel bans have found a circuitous route to the Mediterranean’s beach resorts thanks to an unlikely loophole.

Travel to and from Russia is almost entirely halted, with all commercial flights grounded while the country grapples with the fourth highest coronavirus infection rate on the planet.

But a soft border with Belarus has opened up a route to the rest of the world for those desperate to holiday abroad, and many are now driving hundreds of miles in order to exploit it, with some from as far away as Moscow making the 14-hour trip to the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

Belarus has a far lower infection rate than its neighbour to the east, and flights from its Minsk National Airport to holiday hotspots in southern Europe and North Africa have largely resumed after several months of lockdown.

Despite being subject to much harsher travel restrictions, anyone living in Russia is currently allowed to cross into Belarusian territory, to study, care for sick and elderly relatives, or for health reasons, and local travel agents have been quick to latch onto the latter.

Many are now offering holiday packages that begin with a trip to a Belarusian health spa, after which Russian travellers are theoretically free to fly anywhere in the world without fear of reprimand from the authorities on their return.

Yury Surkov, commercial director at Travel House, has welcomed the surge in business, much needed after months of hardship, and estimates that Russians will soon account for 40 per cent of flight sales made by Belarusian travel agents.

“The demand is huge – all the flights to Egypt and Turkey are booked solid beyond mid-July. We’re adding flights from regional airports,” he told Bloomberg.

The Russian government has announced that it might allow international flights to resume on July 15, two weeks ahead of its initial schedule for easing travel restrictions.

Its transport ministry is currently considering the possibility of reopening its borders with 13 other countries, including the UK, Germany, Italy and China, but reportedly not Russian holiday favourites such as Turkey or Spain, meaning would-be tourists could be compelled to travel via Belarus for the coming weeks and months.

“We can’t forbid people from using this opportunity,” said Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs. “Of course people should be careful and use common sense when taking such decisions.”