"Many Russians are in jail": Russian wildlife tourists threatened with serious punishment in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan government has imposed restrictions on Russian tourists who arrive in the country and violate the law. First of all, those who travel without a tourist permit and live on the island illegally, which is often done by these people, are subject to punishment. Many Russians are now in prison because of their savage antics.

The vice president of the Alliance of Travel Agencies (ATA), Russian Alexan Mkrtchyan, tried to reinsure his compatriots. He said that vacationers from Russia could face deportation, fines, or blacklisting. You can get there for catching local fauna or illegal stay on the island.

"There are quite a few Russians in prisons in Sri Lanka. It should be clearly understood that this is a country for vacation, not for collecting butterflies, bugs and lizards," the Russian advised.

According to him, only unorganized groups of tourists can be punished, i.e. those who have not purchased vacation packages and booked a hotel on their own, bought airline tickets and arranged for taxi drivers at the airport.

Previously, Russian tourists have been urged to check their documents regarding the legality of their stay on the island, as they often overstay their residence permits and conduct illegal business.

In early 2024, the Sri Lankan government began to massively cancel visas for fugitives from the Russian Federation. According to official data, over 288,000 Russians have visited the island over the past two years.

Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said that the ministry has received complaints about some Russian tourists who run unregistered and illegal businesses in the country. Locals complain that Russian companies have a "whites only" policy that strictly prohibits the employment of Sri Lankans.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that Russian tourists got into a scandal in Sri Lanka because of a racist party. Residents of the city of Unawatuna in Sri Lanka, in the area unofficially called "Little Moscow", managed to offend all the indigenous people of the country with just one word.

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