Be in Chile: Russia may open its own flights to Santiago
Russian companies may start flying to Chile in the future, the Russian Embassy in the republic told Izvestia. According to the diplomats, flights with a transfer in Istanbul and a stop in Sao Paulo are now 100% full. According to the National Tourism Service of the Latin American Republic, in 2025 the number of Russian visitors to the country reached a historic maximum — over 10.5 thousand. However, the embassy urged to be extremely vigilant when visiting Chile due to the surge in banditry - in particular, cases of robbery of Russian tourists have become more frequent.
The growth of the tourist flow of Russians to Chile
Chile is one of the most popular countries in South America among Russian tourists, although there are no direct flights there. In addition, the average check for a tour of the republic is $4.5–7 thousand per person. Tourists mostly travel via Istanbul by Turkish Airlines, and the cost of the flight is up to half of the entire trip. This area is in high demand among Russians.
— Today, the shortest route takes place with a transfer in Istanbul and a stop in Sao Paulo, and all flights are almost 100% full. So the profitability here is beyond doubt. We are confident that there are all chances for Russian airlines in the future," the Russian Embassy in Chile told Izvestia.
According to the National Tourism Service of Chile, in 2025 the number of Russian travelers in the republic reached a historic maximum — over 10.5 thousand. Although back in 2024, there were 8.5 thousand guests from the Russian Federation. And in 2022, there were almost 3 thousand of them.
"Since 2010, a visa—free agreement has been in force between the two countries, allowing citizens to stay in both countries for 90 days without obtaining a visa for a period of 180 days from the date of their first entry," the Russian diplomats stressed.
The embassy added that there has never been a direct flight between Moscow and Santiago. Such a flight from Moscow to Santiago would last for 14 thousand km. The most modern long-haul aircraft in the world (for example, Airbus or Boeing) are able to cover this distance. But even they need refueling. Therefore, a non-stop flight from Russia to Chile is not feasible in the foreseeable future.
Only from 1971 to 1973, there was an Aeroflot flight along the Moscow–Rabat–Havana–Lima–Santiago chain. The journey time was about 23 hours. At that time it was one of the longest air routes in the world (about 18 thousand km). However, after the military coup, the coming to power of Augusto Pinochet and the severance of relations with the USSR, air traffic stopped. But the days of dictatorship are long over, and now Chile attracts tourists from all over the world.
"This is a popular destination for individual tourists," Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, told Izvestia. — Companies that are engaged in individual sightseeing tourism, organize trips to national parks, and there is also the opportunity to go on cruises and visit Easter Island.
The Torres del Paine National Park in the south of the country is considered a mecca for trekking enthusiasts. Due to the elongated shape of the country (more than 4.2 thousand km), tourists can see glaciers, fjords, active volcanoes, sand dunes and wine-growing valleys in one trip. Easter Island is one of the most mysterious in the world with its famous moai stone statues, while Chiloe Island is known for its authentic mythology, colorful stilt houses, and unique wooden churches listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The level of banditry in Chile
Despite the popularity of this tourist destination, there are also high risks. The embassy pointed to the worsening of the situation with banditry.
"We note that Chile, in particular Santiago, remains a destination where increased caution should be exercised: recently, cases of robberies of tourists, including citizens of the Russian Federation staying in this country, have become more frequent," the embassy said. — It is recommended not to display expensive items, keep bags closed and do not leave personal items unattended. In the evening and at night, you should avoid sparsely populated streets and unfamiliar areas, even if they seem safe during the day.
The problem worsened so much that at the end of May, an emergency international summit on combating cross-border organized crime was held in Santiago, and on June 1, President Jose Antonio Cast, in his first address to Congress, announced the creation of a register of vandals and an increase in the detention of illegal immigrants. The new president promised voters to "restore order" and tighten border controls, said Alexandra Terzi, program coordinator of the RIAC. According to her, the effect of the measures taken is delayed, and it is too early to assess the Caste policy.
The main catalyst for the violence was the consolidation of powerful international gangs in Chile, among which the Venezuelan cartel Tren de Aragua is in the lead. According to police data for the spring and summer of 2026, he unleashed a street war for control of drug trafficking with the Peruvian group Los Pulpos. Because of this, crimes that were atypical for Chile appeared in the past: contract killings, torture, kidnappings for ransom, and a brutal redistribution of spheres of influence right in the capital.
Chile has a long and difficult—to-control border in the north (with Peru and Bolivia). Through it, both illegal migrants and the smuggling of weapons and drugs enter the country unhindered. Cartels exploit migrants' vulnerability by involving them in human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and drug trafficking. Locals on Reddit are writing about many cases of violence on the streets in 2026.
"There were always suspicious types on the corners. One day, when I was walking to the bus stop on the main avenue, I came across some guy with a machete who was clearly going to fight with another. I had to pretend that I hadn't noticed anything, cross to the other side of the street and pray that he wouldn't see me. Since I lived there, I constantly heard shots from semi-automatic pistols with silencers on Fridays. One day, the police conducted a raid using armored vehicles, they blocked an entire alley," said a user of the platform who lives on the Pacific coast in the city of Talcahuano.
The forum features a lot of stories about drug trafficking, houses being bombarded due to debts, robberies on the streets, as well as home invasions. And such problems do not concern only Chileans. The situation has deteriorated throughout Latin America, Egor Lidovskaya, general director of the Hugo Chavez Latin American Cultural Center, told Izvestia.
— This is largely due to the right turn in the region as a whole. Politicians are betting on big capital. The flip side of this coin is the rejection of a number of social programs. And Chile is no exception here," the expert noted. — The society in the region is so poor that thanks to the "social network" it simply survived. And when the programs are canceled, the people return to a state of total poverty. Naturally, increasing poverty always leads to an increased crime rate.
After Jose Antonio Casta came to power in Chile in March 2026, programs to support the elderly, additional nutrition and social housing were reduced. Thus, the government decided to save about $4 billion.
Lidovskaya cited the exception of right—wing leader Salvador Nayiba Bukele as an example. He managed to transform the country from the "world capital of murders" into one of the safest states in the Western Hemisphere. After gangs killed 87 people in one weekend, a state of emergency was introduced in March 2022. He suspended a number of constitutional rights (for example, the right to a lawyer during detention and the limitation of the period of arrest without charges). The state of emergency is still in effect. He has been tried for gang involvement since he was 12 years old. More than 85,000 people were sent to prisons. Bukele built the "Anti—Terrorism Center", a giant maximum-security prison with 40,000 beds.
In 2015, 105-107 murders per 100,000 population were recorded in El Salvador. By 2024, this figure had fallen to 1.9, and by the end of 2025 it had decreased even more - to about 1.3 murders per 100,000 people. Now the coefficient is lower than in the USA or Canada. Bukele is criticized by human rights organizations, including the UN. However, the authorities claim that now residents of the country can safely walk the streets, open shops and let their children out into the yards. And this gives a powerful boost to the domestic market and tourism.
If the level of banditry in Chile continues to rise, it will inevitably affect the tourist flow, especially for individual travelers, for whom safety and predictability of the route are of key importance. The authorities will be able to overcome this problem only with a combination of harsh measures on the streets and border control, but there are no quick results to be expected. Chile risks losing some of its tourist appeal, including among Russians.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
