Sanctions Strand Thousands Of Russian Tourists In The Caribbean

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Worldwide sanctions that have crippled Russia's air travel industry have also stranded thousands of Russian tourists in the Caribbean.

Aeroflot, the Russian State Airline, has seen all flights canceled out of South Florida and the cancelations have stretched right into South Florida's backyard.

As of Thursday, there were thousands of Russian tourists stranded and struggling to fly home from the Dominican Republic and from Cuba.

Zach Griff, an air travel expert and senior reporter for The Points Guy travel website said, "They can't find a way back because of the air space restrictions and all the different sanctions imposed on Russia."

Russians tourists flock to Cuba and the DR to escape the cold winters.

The Dominican Republic received almost 184,000 Russian tourists and nearly 86,000 Ukrainians in 2021, so it is not a surprise that reports are that 15,000 Russians have been stranded.

There are reports that there are 3,000 Ukrainians in the Dominican Republic.

"The tourist could take a flight from the Caribbean to maybe London or something like that and then connect to Istanbul or Dubai and make their way back to Russia," Griff told CBS News Miami.

Dominican Republic officials say they had reached a deal with hotel chains to "guarantee" the tourists' accommodation "until such time as a solution is found."

But there is more to it than just airline flights suspended.

"This is going to be a very hard process for them. Their currency has been devalued and they will have to pay out of pocket for the cost for tickets back home."

But there is a lucky break for some of the stranded Russians, Aeroflot said they plan to carry out and will be allowed evacuation flights from the Dominican Republic through March 10th.

No word on those tourists who arrived on the various other Russian charter airlines that serve the Caribbean.

Hardest hit, Aeroflot already heavily sanctioned but now, "Just today, we learned that SABR which provides the ticket selling process for Aeroflot will stop supporting them."

"Getting Russians home will not be any easy task," said Griff.