Delta Air Lines has dismissed allegations it removed a Russian man from one of its flights over the annexation of Crimea.
Andrei Yeryomin wrote on his Facebook page that he was “kicked out from the plane Delta airlines!!!! For being Russian citizen. Not kidding. Passenger next to me refused to fly with me because according to him I was an occupant of Crimea as well as other Russian citizens.”
“As a result had to take another flight much later. Funtime idiots. God bless America. Time to go home after 22 years of living here,” said Yeryomin, who also wrote that he holds American citizenship.
The Russian Embassy in Washington said it was investigating the incident.
But in comments to the state-run RIA Novosti agency, Delta Airlines was cited as saying that Yeremin had not been allowed to board the plane because he had been late to the flight, and had then broken through closed doors. “He was interrogated by law enforcement for breaking security rules and was then booked for a later flight to Atlanta,” the cited statement said.
Yeryomin said on Facebook he had been wearing clothing with “Russia” written on it, in order to express his support for Russian athletes.
He added that he “doesn’t give a damn about politics.”