Russian planes over Poland despite the ban. "Sanctions with holes like a sieve"
KAMIL DZIUBKA today 10:46
Russian planes are trying to circumvent sanctions and attract tourists from
resorts under the pretext of flights taking part in the humanitarian action through friendly countries, including Hungarian. The routes of at least two such flights also led through Poland, Onet learned. - Special flights were organized by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, i.e. Lavrov, which is covered by international sanctions in the EU - says the KO MP Michał Szczerba. The politician carried out an inspection at the Civil Aviation Authority.
Russian planes over Poland despite the ban. "Sanctions with holes like a sieve"
Russian planes are trying to circumvent sanctions and attract tourists from resorts under the pretext of flights taking part in the humanitarian action through friendly countries, including Hungarian. The routes of at least two such flights also led through Poland, Onet learned. - Special flights were organized by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, i.e. Lavrov, which is covered by international sanctions in the EU - says the KO MP Michał Szczerba. The politician carried out an inspection at the Civil Aviation Authority.
Photo: MAXIM SHIPENKOV / PAPAirbus A321 of Russian Aeroflot airlines. Moscow Sheremetyevo airport, February 27, 2022."Humanitarian" flights
Polish skies have been closed to Russian planes for over a week. All European Union countries also decided to take a similar step. A special regulation on this matter was also issued by the European Commission. This is a punishment for Russia's attack on Ukraine.
However, this does not mean that the machines of the country ruled by Vladimir Putin have completely disappeared from the sky over Poland. Onet's information shows that from February 25 there were at least eight such special flights.
On March 1, the Volga-Dnieper plane carried nuclear fuel for the power plants in Mochovce and Jaslovske Bohunice . The Prime Minister of Slovakia asked for permission to fly with a humanitarian status. The return flight has already been classified as an "emergency".
A similar "emergency" flight took place on March 3 on the route from Moscow-Domodedovo to Brno, Czech Republic. It was again served by the Volga-Dnieper lines. Again, it was about the materials needed for the nuclear power plant - this time in the Czech Dukovany.
While these connections do not raise great doubts, it is completely different with the other flights. On March 2, the Rossiya Airlines plane took off from Moscow-Sheremetyevo and flew over Poland to Sofia. The plane was returning from Bulgaria to the Russian capital a day later. Lot had "humanitarian" status. It also took place partially in Polish airspace.
On March 3, the "humanitarian" flight was carried out by Aeroflot from Moscow to Budapest. The machine returned from the Hungarian capital on March 4. According to Poland by the Hungarian Ministry of Innovation and Technology, the flight status "was confirmed by the Russian embassy in Budapest," as well as by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- This is an obvious breach of the regulation of the Council of Ministers of February 25, 2022, which provides for the only exception for flights taking part in humanitarian operations. None of the flights carrying Russian tourists met the definition of such a flight. After all, the Russians did not return from the place of conflict or war and had alternative and safe transport at their disposal - MP Michał Szczerba tells Onet.
At the beginning of March, a member of the Civic Coalition began inspecting the Civil Aviation Authority, which on the Polish side is responsible for issuing permits for special flights of Russian machines over Poland.
- Sanctions have holes like a sieve, because Polish offices hide their heads in the sand and pretend that they do not know what a humanitarian flight is. And yet this concept is defined by international law and concerns evacuation from areas affected by armed conflicts and natural disasters. Polish authorities should be more sensitive than the Hungarian ones. I don't expect anything from Orban. I expect elementary credibility from the prime minister of the Polish government - he adds.
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