President Vladimir Putin
...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...called the halt to Russian flights in line with a recommendation from his security chief, the Kremlin said, although Moscow had downplayed reports that a bomb caused the crash Saturday.
Putin "ordered the government to work out mechanisms" to halt flights and to repatriate Russian citizens, Kremlin front man Dmitry Peskov said.
At an emergency meeting, the head of Russia's FSB security service, Alexander Bortnikov, said it would be prudent to halt flights for now.
"Until we have determined the true reasons for what happened, I consider it expedient to stop flights by Russian aviation to Egypt," Bortnikov said.
With international concerns mounting, European airlines prepared to bring home thousands of tourists from the Red Sea resort, which has been a jewel in Egypt's tourism crown.
A first flight finally took off for London's Gatwick airport after a long delay, followed shortly by another plane headed for Britannia.
But there were angry scenes at the airport as thousands of anxious Britons, who had also hoped to fly home, were sent back to their hotels after Egypt blocked several other repatriation flights.
British Ambassador John Casson was heckled as he announced the news.