MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian government will request flights out of Afghanistan in September for Afghan students who are planning to study in Russia, the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan could stop hundreds of Afghans from taking up university places in Russia or continuing with classes that have moved online during the coronavirus pandemic, students said last week.
Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov previously said he was aware of the issue and was in touch with students.
“Due to false information that appears concerning the transportation of Afghan students to study in Russia, we inform that the issue is being worked out. Flights for students will be requested in September!” the embassy said on Tuesday.
The Taliban expect foreign evacuations from Kabul to be completed by the end of August https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-says-no-evacuation-extension-g7-meets-afghan-crisis-2021-08-24, the Islamist group’s main spokesman said on Tuesday.
Two Afghan students who were admitted to Moscow universities and were not yet able to leave Afghanistan said on Tuesday that they were asked to send their documents to the Russian embassy in Kabul this week.
They said they tried to call the embassy but their calls were not picked up and one tried to visit the embassy on Tuesday but was not allowed to enter.
(Reporting by Polina Devitt and Maria Tsvetkova; editing by Grant McCool)
