In Duty Free Abu Dhabi, a journalist from Moscow was not sold water because she was flying to Russia
In the duty free airport of the capital of the United Arab Emirates, there are new restrictions for those flying to Russia – a complete ban on buying goods from the United States and the ability to only purchase other items using the national currency.
Olga Sharina, a journalist from Moscow, encountered an unexpected change and shared the details with the Sovershenno Sekretno newspaper.
According to our source, the incident occurred on January 10, when she was flying from a hot Arab country to Russia. Olga sought to buy water at the duty-free shop and was requested to show her boarding pass. Upon seeing her destination, the seller declined to accept euros, insisting on payment in the national currency, dirham.
“The new rules have been in place in the Emirates for about 2 months: anyone with a boarding pass to the Russian Federation cannot buy anything in duty-free using dollars, euros, or pounds. Only dirhams are accepted. Additionally, any American products from chocolates to alcohol and bags cannot be purchased at all,” Sharina explained.
The Russian woman was informed that the administration had quietly implemented these conditions for all travelers to Russia, not just Russians. This is due to the conflict in Ukraine and the decrease in economic ties.
“Many were turned away. When I tried to buy water with euros, they immediately told me: “Russian? Are you flying to Russia? We can’t sell to you.” This restriction only applies to duty-free shops that require a boarding pass. Restaurants, bookstores, and pharmacies operate without such restrictions,” the source explained. Olga also witnessed the refusal to sell Jack Daniel’s American whiskey to those flying to Russia.
Later, her friends informed the journalist about similar incidents in European countries. However, in their case, they were denied purchases in Duty Free, but not for water and chocolate, for luxury items instead.
It is important to note that the UAE is supporting its neighbors in the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict. On October 18, Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan allocated an additional $100 million in humanitarian aid for citizens affected by the conflict in Ukraine. Furthermore, on December 25, it was reported that the Arab state would provide 2,500 household generators with a capacity of 3.5 to 8 kW to Ukraine to alleviate energy issues resulting from infrastructure damage due to shelling.
