Romania prohibits deputy PM’s plane to enter air space

MOSCOW/CHISINAU/MINSK, Jul 28 (PRIME) -- Romania has declined a request of a S7 Airlines plane, which carried Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to visit Moldovan President Igor Dodon, to enter its air space because it was carrying “a sanctioned person,” an airline official told PRIME on Friday.

Russia’s ambassador to Moldova Farit Mukhametshin earlier said that the plane has been forwarded to Minsk.

The S7’s flight carried 165 passengers, including 11 children.

“S7 Airlines is doing everything possible to ship the passengers to Chisinau. Besides, there are 170 people, waiting for a back flight in the airport of Chisinau,” a S7 representative said.

Rogozin called Romania’s decision “a demarche against the Moldovan president.”

In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated to their worse since the Cold War due to a military conflict in Ukraine. The West introduced sanctions against some Russian firms and individuals including Rogozin.

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