As the crisis in Ukraine continued to make headlines across the globe, on Saturday many eyes were focused on the Los Angeles International Airport.
Russia’s national airline was set to land its first flight from Moscow to LAX since the country invaded Ukraine earlier this week.
A number of travelers arrived at LAX to leave on an Aeroflot flight to Moscow. Russia’s flag carrier airline was banned from the United Kingdom’s airspace just days ago.
President Joe Biden has not made a similar announcement as part of his sanctions, but there was some concern among those set to travel on the airline.
While many travelers from Russia declined to comment on the war, some offered their thoughts.
“I’m half Ukrainian and half Russian, and I’m living here. I’m also American. I don’t hate anyone. We have to be patient and be human, first of all,” one traveler said.
She added that she supports Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I think our president save our country,” she said.
A couple traveling from Norway, however, had a much different opinion.
“I think it’s important to do everything we can to stop the Russians,” one of them said.