15,000 Russians TRAPPED in the Dominican Republic as war rages in Ukraine!
Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine has left almost 17,000 tourists from both the countries stuck in the Dominican Republic as travel restrictions were imposed due to the war, Santo Domingo’s government said Wednesday, March 2. The Caribbean country also said that they have struck a deal with hotel chains to “guarantee” the tourists housing “until such time as a solution is found”.
As per reports, nearly 15,000 people are from Russia, most of whom are trapped in the eastern province of La Altagracia, while Ukrainians are around 1,900, who will reportedly stay in the country until the process of their deportation begins. But Ukraine's honorary consul to the Dominican Republic Ilona Oleksandrivna claimed that around 3,000 Ukrainian nationals were stuck in the tourist nation, out of which, 1,200 were asked to leave their hotels. However, no deserted Ukrainian people were reportedly found.
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Besides, Oleksandrivna had a meeting with Dominican President Luis Abinader on Wednesday, March 2, regarding the tourists' situation. Anibal Felix, an advisor to Oleksandrivna, said, “The Dominican government pledged not to pressure any Ukrainian citizen to leave their hotel for lack of resources. That was a commitment from the president and he was vehement in that decision.”
This comes after in late February, economist and business consultant Henri Hebrard had said that the war “will bring very negative consequences for tourism, the economy, and the Dominican Republic’s budgetary stability,” as reported by Dominican Today.
Hebrard remarked, “If the economic sanctions of the United States and Europe against Russia are very extreme, this could affect Russian tourism to the Dominican Republic, which is the main destination from these countries.” He also stated, “Ukraine is currently the fifth largest market for tourists to the Dominican Republic from Europe. Nowadays, around 15 thousand tourists are received, more than from Italy and England.”
Not just tourism, Hebrard also focused on the oil prices as the Russia-Ukraine crisis resulted in the expensive barrels that “shot up to around 100 dollars in international markets.” The economist noted that the main source of wheat, corn, and soybeans, high-consumption products for the Dominican Republic is Ukraine and because of the war, the prices of bread, chicken, and other foods will skyrocket.
Hebrard mentioned that the only gain to the Dominican economy due to the war was the high price of gold, which has reportedly reached about two thousand dollars an ounce. But it won’t be enough to compensate for the high cost that would occur in cereals and oil. “That is positive, but it will never be positive enough to offset the negative of grain and oil,” he added.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Russia has captured Ukraine’s first major city Kherson after their week-long invasion. Earlier on Tuesday, March 1, Mayor Igor Kolykhayev had assured the citizens that the port city would remain in Ukraine. He had stated, “It's hard to call this morning good, but let's try. We are still Ukraine. Still persistent. But already very much in smoke.” Then on Wednesday, Match 2, he added, “Last night, when my team and I were in the city hall, the building was shelled. Everyone is alive. Today I will work to find a way to collect the dead, how to restore light, gas, water, and heat where it is damaged. We are all waiting for a miracle now. We need it.”