Vladimir Putin halts all Russian flights to Egypt
Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended all Russian flights to Egypt. According to the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, Putin instructed his cabinet to implement a series of recommendations by the National Antiterrorism Committee and arrange for Russian nationals currently stranded in Egypt to return home.
Putin has also ordered Russian officials to cooperate with Egypt’s authorities to ensure the safety of air traffic.
Earlier today, Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), recommended halting all Russian flights to Egypt, until the reasons for the crash of a Russian passenger plane last weekend are established.
On Saturday morning, October 31, an Airbus A321 Russian passenger flight operated by Metrojet crashed in the mountainous area of central Sinai, en route to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board died.