Should you travel to Moscow right now? A decision guide

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to Russia, and that advice covers the capital. This page is not a case for going. It sets out what the advice says about Moscow and the rest of Russia, which risks apply to a visitor in the capital, and the questions worth settling before anyone makes a decision. If those questions cannot be answered, the straightforward conclusion is not to go.

The advice was last updated on 18 September 2026, with a change that added information about drone attacks leading to short-notice restrictions on airspace use and airport operations. It rates the whole country as a place to avoid, not only the regions bordering Ukraine. Its stated reasons are the continuing invasion of Ukraine, security incidents such as drone attacks, a lack of flights to return to the UK and the limited ability of the UK government to provide support.

Read the full text on the UK government's Russia travel advice before you decide anything, and check it again just before any departure, because it can change at short notice. Other governments publish their own advice, and a traveler holding a non-UK passport should read the advice from their own foreign ministry too.

The text is blunt and specific, which makes it easier to apply than a generic warning. It lists four reasons for its advice: the continuing invasion of Ukraine, security incidents including drone attacks and Russian air defense activity, the lack of flights to return to the UK, and the limited ability of the UK government to provide support. It then adds two further warnings of its own: an increased risk of British nationals being detained, and a high likelihood that terrorists will try to carry out attacks, including in major cities.

The table below turns that text into the questions a traveler would need to answer. It quotes the advice in summary only, so read the original for the exact wording.

None of these factors is theoretical. They are the stated reasons for a government to tell its citizens not to go, and each one changes what could go wrong and who could help. A trip to a place with a poor weather forecast is a different kind of decision from a trip to a place where the government says it cannot reliably reach you.

The advice names Moscow in several places. On terrorism, it says attacks have taken place in Moscow and St Petersburg and other Russian cities in recent years, with large numbers of casualties, and it lists places visited by foreign nationals as possible targets: large gatherings such as concerts, popular tourist sites, seasonal, festive or religious activities in public places, areas not controlled by security, and transportation networks. It cites the March 2024 attack at the Crocus City Concert Hall in Krasnogorsk near Moscow, in which 145 people were killed.

On the security situation, the advice reports drone attacks and explosions in Russia, particularly near the Ukrainian border but also in and near large cities and infrastructure sites across Western and Central Russia. It adds that there have been several shootings in Moscow, often near apartment blocks, and a bombing near a Moscow railway station. For a visitor, the practical consequence is not that every street is dangerous. It is that the situation is described as unpredictable and able to escalate without warning.

On the law, the advice points to a revision of the Russian Criminal Code on 28 December 2024 that widened liability for foreigners believed to be acting against Russian interests. It gives examples of activities that could lead to deportation, detention, investigation or prosecution: displaying LGBT+ symbols like the rainbow flag, expressing support for Ukraine on social media, making a financial contribution to organizations linked to Ukraine, and helping Russian nationals evade conscription. This applies even where the activity took place outside Russia. Anyone whose phone, social media history or past donations might be read by a border officer should take that seriously, and the laws visitors must know page lists the rules that travelers most often misjudge.

Ordinary crime is a smaller concern in the advice but is still listed: mugging and pickpocketing around main tourist areas, railway stations, vehicles and hotel rooms, drink spiking, unregistered taxis and fake police checks. It also notes that British nationals have had passports stolen or lost in Moscow airports.

The advice says you cannot fly directly from Russia to the UK or through EU countries, and that limited commercial airlines offer indirect flights, including through the Middle East, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Georgia and Turkey. On top of that, it says airspace closes during drone attacks, causing frequent and unpredictable delays, diversions and cancellations to flights in and out of Russian airports, and that domestic flights to a number of airports in southern Russia are restricted, with disruption to internal flights to and from Moscow and other cities.

For decision purposes, this means an itinerary with a fixed return date is fragile. A missed connection in a third country is an inconvenience on most trips. Here, it can also mean a longer wait for an uncertain slot, a rebooking that costs more or takes longer than planned, and a visa that runs out while you wait. The advice also says UK sanctions apply to Aeroflot, Rossiya Airlines, Ural Airlines and Russian Railways, and that British nationals can buy flight tickets if the journey starts in or within Russia without breaching UK sanctions. Read the sanctions guidance it links before paying any Russian carrier.

The land routes are not an easy fallback. The advice says land borders may be busy or closed, that you should be prepared for a long wait to exit, and that officials may question you at the border. It states that the border between Finland and Russia is closed and that the Narva-Ivangorod crossing with Estonia is closed to vehicles but open to pedestrians. St Petersburg has its own page on routes in and out.

The advice's first sentence is about insurance: your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against FCDO advice. For most people this is the deciding factor in practice, because the expensive events in a trip, such as a medical emergency, an evacuation or an unplanned stay, are exactly what the policy exists to cover. A trip with no valid cover turns a hospital bill, a missed flight or a long delay into a personal financial risk.

The sensible sequence is to read the policy wording first, then ask the insurer in writing whether a trip to Russia is covered and under what conditions, and keep the answer with your documents. Credit card benefits and annual multi-trip policies often exclude destinations where the government advises against travel, so do not assume. The travel insurance guide explains how these exclusions work, and the page on what credit card travel insurance covers is worth reading before relying on a card.

Insurance is not only about money. The advice says the UK government's ability to support British nationals is limited, and an insurer's assistance line can be the only practical route for medical help or evacuation. If that line is closed to you because the trip is excluded, the safety net is thinner than it looks.

A decision should rest on answers, not on mood. These are the questions that carry the most weight, in the order they tend to matter.

First, is the trip necessary? The advice says that anyone who does not need to be in Russia should strongly consider leaving, so a trip for leisure is the weakest case. Second, is there a written answer from an insurer? Without it, treat the trip as uninsured. Third, what is the exit plan if flights stop? Name two routes, the cost of each and the documents each needs. Fourth, does your passport and profile raise the detention risk the advice describes? This includes dual nationality: the advice says Russian authorities treat British-Russian dual nationals as Russian citizens, which limits UK assistance and may mean consular staff are not allowed to visit.

Fifth, can you pay for everything in cash? Foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard cards do not work in Russia, and the money and phones page covers what that means in practice. Sixth, can you reach the people who need to reach you? The advice warns that foreign SIM cards may not provide mobile internet or SMS, and that Meta, X and LinkedIn are blocked. Seventh, does the visa fit? The entry rules page explains the visa, biometrics and border questioning the advice describes, including long checks of phones and electronic devices.

If any of these answers is "not sure", the trip is not ready, and in the case of insurance, exit routes or detention risk, the honest conclusion is to postpone.

Some travelers are better off not going at all while the advice stands. Dual British-Russian nationals face conscription and detention risks that the advice sets out separately. Anyone with a history of public criticism of the Russian government, or of financial support for organizations linked to Ukraine, faces the legal risk the advice describes. LGBT+ travelers face legislation that the advice calls a considerable restriction, including a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that designated the so-called international LGBT movement as extremist. Journalists have been arrested for gathering and publishing information. People with serious medical conditions should note that cover could be void, and families should know that a child under 18 leaving Russia without a parent or legal guardian must carry a notarized travel permission from one of them.

A trip for tourism alone, with a flexible budget and a strong insurance answer, still faces the risks of drone-related disruption and terrorism. It is a decision for the traveler, but the advice leaves little room for treating it as routine.

The advice speaks directly to people who are already there. If you do not need to be in Russia, it strongly advises you to consider leaving. If you stay, it says to keep departure plans under constant review, make sure travel documents are up to date and you have enough money, follow local media, stay alert to security warnings and local authority advice, take cover from drone attacks in buildings or underground and avoid windows, and sign up for the advice email alerts.

For help, the advice gives the 24-hour helpline +7 495 956 7200, with the option for consular services for British nationals, and says to call 112 for Russian emergency services. It also says the British Embassy in Moscow and the consulate in Ekaterinburg are open, but that the situation could change at short notice and in-person UK support is limited.

The most common mistake is treating the advisory as a formality because a visa has been granted. A visa is permission to enter, and it says nothing about safety or cover. A second mistake is booking a nonrefundable itinerary before settling the insurance question. A third is relying on cash alone without a plan for losing it; the advice says there are few remaining methods of transferring money to Russia and that UK banks may refuse to transfer funds. A fourth is posting about the trip or the war on social media without reading the legal warnings first.

A fifth mistake is judging the trip by the season. Moscow's weather matters for packing, and the Moscow guide lists the monthly highs, but it is the smallest factor here. Neither a mild September nor a snowy January changes what the advice says about the risks.

If you decide to go anyway, treat it as a considered exception rather than a normal trip, and revisit the decision whenever the advice changes. Before any money is spent, use the visas and entry guides to check the entry steps, and make a plan for staying connected that does not depend on a foreign SIM working.