Originally Posted by
Concerto
I had this all read through by an experienced Russian lawyer and non essential visits by foreigners to Russia are currently banned, period. I have no reason to doubt her reading of the text in Russian or her experience.
This was certainly the case at some stages of the pandemic and remains the case for some nationalities but currently UK citizens are permitted. Which particular document are you referring to as nothing on the FCOD or the Russian Embassy in the UK websites indicates current restrictions (beyond Covid testing and quarantine for UK arrivals)? Here is the information on Timatic (my bolding) for your situation;
Russian Fed.
Passport
Passport required.Document Validity:
Passports and other documents accepted for entry must be valid on arrival.Admission and Transit Restrictions:
Passengers are not allowed to enter the Russian Fed.
This does not apply to family members of nationals of the Russian Fed.
This does not apply to British nationals if arriving on a direct flight from Switzerland.
This does not apply to students with a written approval issued by their university. The approval must have been submitted to the Federal Security Service of the Russian Fed. by the university.
This does not apply to passengers traveling with an UEFA 2021 FAN ID card issued on paper or electronically.
This does not apply to passengers with a "Local Organization Structure UEFA Euro 2021 (LOS)" confirmation letter.
Whilst I would normally defer to a Russian lawyer, in this case, having personally witnessed,several people collecting their Russian visas on Friday, I think your fears are unfounded. I would add as a word of caution though, that if things were to change between obtaining a visa and arriving in Russia then the visa might become unusable.
In other news,the bill for softening visa regulations described
here has now passed its final reading in the state Duma but still needs to be signed by the President.This will facilitate longer stays.