Cruise ship with Russians denied entry to Istanbul port
21.11.2025 - 11:31
The management of the port of Istanbul did not issue a permit for the mooring of the cruise liner Astoria Grande with Russians on board.
This is reported by Russian media.
The liner had previously called at Istanbul several times, so the port administration did not explain the reasons for the refusal to the shipowner, said the company “SK Aquilon” (an agent for selling tours on the liner).
As a result, the liner, which stood at anchor in the Sea of Marmara for several hours, set off for the final destination of the cruise – Sochi (Russia).
There are 616 passengers on the liner, mostly Russians, as well as 435 crew members. As part of the cruise, the Russians wanted to visit the ports of Antalya, Alanya and Izmir.
In early November, the Seabridge ferry, which was making its first flight with passengers from the Turkish Trabzon in 14 years, was not allowed into the port of Sochi. The ship returned to Turkey after two and a half days of waiting.
As a reminder, in 2023, protests took place in Batumi (Georgia) against the docking of the Russian cruise liner Astoria Grande. The reason was that the vessel was carrying supporters of President Putin and “stars” who support the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine.
