Russia bans airlines from 36 countries

MOSCOW - Russia announced Monday it was banning flights by airlines from 36 countries after many have barred Russian planes over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said it was bringing in the restrictions "as a retaliatory measure for the ban by European states on flights by civil aviation operated by Russian airlines or registered in Russia."

The list of countries includes Austria, Albania, Anguilla (a British overseas territory), Belgium, Bulgaria, the British Virgin Islands, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Denmark (including Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the territorial sea), Jersey , Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Estonia.

Flights to these countries will only be allowed on special permits issued by Rosaviatsia or the Russian Foreign Ministry. 

As reported, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced last Sunday that the European Union (EU) is shutting its airspace to Russian planes.