SWIFT cutoff leaves Egyptian students in Russia empty handed
Russia's exclusion from global payments systems has prevented thousands of Egyptian students in the country from receiving money from their families back home.
Facebook groups for Egyptian students studying in Russia are buzzing as members ask each other how to transfer money into the country. Since Russian banks were banned from the international SWIFT network, thousands of Egyptian students have been cut off financially from their families and questionable networks are springing up with offers to help transfer money into Russia.
On Feb. 26, Western countries cut off Russia from the SWIFT network in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of Egyptian and other Arab students have been left unable to receive money from their families back home. According to the Russian ambassador to Egypt, there are more than 12,400 Egyptian students currently studying in Russia.
