Polish Airline Says It Didn't Allow A Russian Tennis Player To Board One Of Its Flights

Russian tennis player Vitalia Diatchenko

A Russian tennis player was not allowed board a flight operated by Polish flag carrier LOT, the airline confirmed on April 25. Vitalia Diatchenko said she was refused boarding on a LOT flight in Cairo, with German airline Lufthansa also refusing to sell her a ticket. "I slept at the airport. I was treated like a third-class citizen (because of my nationality)," Diatchenko wrote. She had been attempting to travel to a tournament in Corsica via Warsaw and Nice. LOT confirmed it had not allowed her to board, citing updated restrictions introduced by Poland's Interior Ministry following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.