The UK government has urged British nationals in Russia whose presence is “not essential” to consider leaving the country amid the mounting crisis in Ukraine.
The Foreign Office said it had updated its travel advice to say that Britons who can should use the remaining commercial routes to leave Russia.
“The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to the whole of Russia due to the lack of available flight options to return to the UK, and the increased volatility in the Russian economy,” it said on its website on Saturday.
“If your presence in Russia is not essential, we strongly advise that you consider leaving by remaining commercial routes.”
The government said it may not be possible to fly directly to the UK or via EU countries, but that it may be possible to travel via the Middle East and Turkey.
Before the latest update, the advice had been that people outside Russia should not travel to the country.
Coming on the 10th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the advice was the latest sign of increasing tensions between the UK and Russia and comes amid international condemnation of Moscow and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, with more than 1.2 million people already having fled the country.
The UK government said on Friday it was planning new emergency powers to immediately sanction people who have already been sanctioned by the US or EU, after criticism that it had been too slow to target Russian oligarchs.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, a wave of financial sanctions have been implemented by the EU and the US. But on Friday, the UK had imposed sanctions on just 15 individuals and 205 companies.
The government also backed down on plans to allow Russian oligarchs a “grace period” to register ownership of luxury properties in the UK by cutting it from 18 months to six months.
Meanwhile, media outlets from around the world, including the BBC, said they were temporarily suspending reporting in Russia to protect journalists in response to a new law cracking down on foreign news outlets that threatens jail terms of up to 15 years for spreading “fake news”.
Russia’s flagship carrier, Aeroflot, reportedly said on Saturday it would stop all flights abroad except for those to Belarus. It follows a recommendation by the Russian state aviation authority to suspend flights of foreign-leased aircraft from and to Russia.
