A cruise ship carrying Russians was denied entry into Istanbul's port.

The Astoria Grande cruise ship, en route from Russia and awaiting permission to dock at the Istanbul port of Sarayburnu, may be diverted to Sochi if Turkish authorities do not grant the appropriate permit.

As reported by Caucasian Knot, on November 11, Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, commenting on the refusal to allow the ferry from Trabzon Seabridge to the port of Sochi, stated that the infrastructure is not ready to receive cargo-passenger vessels.

Istanbul port authorities denied permission for the international cruise ship Astoria Grande, which flies the Palau flag, to dock. It is forced to proceed to the next port – the city of Sochi, the press service of Astoria Grande's general sales agent, SK Akvilon LLC, told RBC.

The captain received orders to take up an anchorage position, but a berth decision has not yet been agreed upon. According to assurances from the Turkish side, the current delay will not affect the Astoria Grande's future calls in Istanbul. The ship's next voyage with a scheduled stop in the city is scheduled to depart from Sochi on November 22, RIA Novosti reported today, citing a source.

The Astoria Grande cruise ship with Russians on board has been unable to dock in Istanbul for several hours, passenger Natalia told RIA Novosti earlier on Thursday. According to the marinetraffic portal, the ship has been anchored in the Sea of Marmara since at least September 5. Moscow time.

The Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported that the ship had previously visited the ports of Antalya, Alanya, and Izmir. There were 616 passengers on board, mostly Russians, as well as 435 crew members, the agency clarified.

The Russian Consulate General has not received any complaints from Russians regarding the situation surrounding the Astoria Grande cruise ship and has sent a corresponding request to the port authorities of the Turkish city, TASS reported, citing the Russian diplomatic mission.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that on July 31, 2023, members of opposition parties protested the arrival of the Astoria Grande cruise ship carrying Russian tourists at the port of Batumi. Police detained 23 protesters. On August 1, those detained were released pending trial. Some of them complained about the use of force by security forces, and non-governmental organizations href="https://www.caucasianknot.net/articles/391141">criticized the actions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers. The Batumi City Court fined almost all those detained at the port protest.