Russian tennis player Vitalia Diatchenko was not allowed to board a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Cairo to Nice via Warsaw because she holds a Russian passport, despite having all the necessary documents and support letters from the WTA.
Vitalia Diatchenko was stuck in Cairo airport for 18 hours with no food, sleeping on benches, and not allowed to leave. Diatchenko’s father Anatoly was born in Ukraine, works for the United Nations and has a diplomatic passport, but the airline nevertheless refused to let her board.
Her modified travel plan had to include four flights instead of two, due to visa restrictions forcing her to enter Europe through Spain, the only country that would issue her a visa. She will now miss a tennis tournament in Corsica due to these travel restrictions.
In a separate incident, Diatchenko also received abusive messages after losing a match, revealing the dark side of online sports culture. The tennis player, who competes under a neutral flag, hopes to be free of politics, racism, and nazism in sports.
Remember, geniuses, this little thing called KARMA!
Time to add LOT to my sanctions list. Oh, I’m not Russian, rather a very, very embarrassed Eurotrash passport holder:(
Love it.. should ban all russians
Your article implies that, as she held documents from the WTA and because her father was born in Ukraine, works for the UN and holds a diplomatic passport, LOT made an unfair or even incorrect decision and that they should have unilaterally overruled EU embargos on Russian citizens and allowed her to travel.
I’m surprised that you have taken that approach, especially given your past career in the airline business.
Disappointing.
Small price to pay for being a member of such a glorious country as Putin’s Russia. Plain political and plain banditry called to answer by scared Schengen Europa. No father or UN post can help when sanctions are declared.
From your article I gather that the lady was travelling on Schengen visa. Schengen visas are not sufficient even for transiting Poland, for Russian citizens. The rules for Russian nationals to transit or enter Poland are some of the most restrictive in EU. You are implying that LOT, the national carrier of Poland, should have forgotten about this when such an important person was travelling with them. How about Djokovic, who as unvaccinated is not allowed to enter US, also then the airlines should bend the rules?
Shameful. You wouldn’t expect anything else from racist potato headed polish scum.