"Flights from the UAE are operating regularly again, and most of our compatriots (ed. note: Russians) stranded there due to air transport disruptions have already managed to return home", wrote Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on her Telegram profile.
From March 2 to 9, Russian and foreign airlines operated 240 flights from UAE airports, carrying 50,053 passengers.
"These weeks have been really busy for the Consulate General," Zakharova admitted. In the first few days after the events began, the number of inquiries to the Consulate General from compatriots was literally in the thousands. At this point, we admit, we lost count, but today we managed to summarize", added the spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In total, the Consulate General has received information about over 18,000 Russian citizens, of which approximately 5,000 were registered at the consulate.
During this time, the Consulate General's hotline has received:
* 5,973 phone calls (with a total of over 140 hours of "available" time)
* 1,915 emails
* 648 messages on our social networks, especially on the Ministry's Telegram channel.
"Behind all these calls, emails and messages for us there was always something more than statistics, but real people who found themselves in a difficult situation far from home. "That's why our most important thing throughout this time was to stay in touch, understand every problem, share the information we have and work together to find possible solutions," Zakharova said.
She thanked the UAE authorities, the airport management and all the partners with whom we had the opportunity to communicate during these days. Airlines also played a significant role by continuing to operate flights and helping tens of thousands of people return home. "Special thanks to the volunteers and caring people who helped our compatriots - sharing information, shelter, money and supporting those who were going through a particularly difficult period. And, of course, we thank our compatriots for their patience and understanding. We cannot fail to mention our Kazakh colleagues. According to our observations, in approximately every twentieth letter or telephone conversation we have heard the phrase: “But the Kazakhs...“. We admit it - they have raised the bar high,” the spokesman said.