Originally Posted by
mczlaw
Interesting. What is the source of authority for this? I know it is true for China, but saw nothing preventing this itinerary for Russia. Thx.
It's pretty simple: you can't enter Russian territory for transit without a visa. Any airport transit to a third country must be conducted airside, unless one has a transit visa (or some other suitable visa) or is eligible for visa free entry (well, taken you most likely aren't e.g. Cuban, it doesn't apply to you). This is nothing new. As for a source (besides I know this stuff for a fact), I could quote the IATA TIMATIC database: "Passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country within 24 hours. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination."
I'm always pretty amazed how people just book these types of itineraries without any proper research. It applies to travel documents/permits, vaccinations etc.