Russian travel agencies are offering "debit-card tours" to Uzbekistan with the primary aim of obtaining Mastercard and VISA cards from Uzbek banks to get around Western sanctions due to Moscow's war in Ukraine that included the U.S. card giants suspending operations in Russia.
When Russian regulators approved the country's own coronavirus vaccine, it was a moment of national pride, and the Pavlov family was among those who rushed to take the injection. But international health authorities have not yet given their blessing to the Sputnik V shot.
Russians Travel to Serbia for Western-Made COVID-19 Vaccines voanews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from voanews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When Russian regulators approved the country’s own COVID-19 vaccine, it was a moment of national pride, and the Pavlov family was among those who rushed to take the injection.
However, international health authorities have not yet given their blessing to the Sputnik V shot.
So when the family from Rostov-on-Don wanted to visit the West, they looked for a vaccine that would allow them to travel freely a quest that brought them to Serbia, where hundreds of Russian citizens have flocked in the past few weeks to receive Western-approved COVID-19 shots.
Serbia, which is not a member of the EU, is
Russians are flocking to Serbia to receive Western-approved COVID-19 shots. Although Russia has its own vaccine known as Sputnik V, the shot has not been approved by international health authorities.