It has become known how Matvienko got to the conference in Geneva despite EU sanctions

Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, who is under EU sanctions, was able to attend a conference in Geneva, Switzerland, after Italy and France allowed her plane to fly through their airspace.

According to an online flight tracking service, the plane carrying Matviyenko flew over Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea, then arrived in Geneva on Monday via Italy and departed for Moscow on Wednesday via French and Italian airspace.

Bloomberg's sources in Rome say that Italy allowed Matvienko's plane to enter its airspace at the request of the Swiss government. They added that the Italian government consulted with the French authorities, who also received a request for overflight, before granting permission.

In response to a request from Bloomberg, the Swiss Foreign Ministry reiterated that it could make exceptions to the entry ban, “in particular for flights for humanitarian, medical or diplomatic purposes.”

Source: Ukrainian Pravda, Bloomberg, European Pravda