Despite its dire coronavirus numbers, Russia has announced it is lifting further restrictions on international air travel.
As of November 9, regular air connections to the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden will be operating again, the Russian government announced in Moscow on Thursday.
Restrictions on air travel to Austria, Switzerland and Finland are also to be lifted.
The number of flights to Germany will also be increased: from Moscow there will be 14 connections per week to Frankfurt instead of the current five and from St Petersburg there will be seven flights a week to Frankfurt instead of three.
The German government still classifies Russia as a high-risk area, and tourism for Russians to Germany is not currently possible.
Tourist visas
Russia, on the other hand, has resumed issuing tourist visas to foreigners.
The Russian government advises its citizens to be vaccinated against the coronavirus before travelling abroad, but vaccine scepticism is rife in Russia.
Despite having several vaccines of its own, less than a third of Russians have been fully vaccinated to date. At the same time, Russian authorities reported record highs both in terms of new daily infections and deaths on Thursday.
Government figures reported 31,300 new cases and 986 Covid-19-related deaths within 24 hours, the highest level since the pandemic began. However, experts believe that figures are actually far higher.
