I still don't get why Russia is not just putting him on military transport to Cuba. They should have "some" experience flying that route without US interference. Nobody would mess around with a military transport and getting him out of the country would probably reflect on Russia better than just harboring him around at the transit zone.
> he's in an international transit lounge and therefore not actually in any country.
What would prevent other asylum seekers or refugees from doing the same? Leave a war torn hell hole and camp out at Stuttgart International, sleep on the benches and busk or beg to get a meal. The fact that this doesn't happens means there are other reasons and the transit lounge isn't a DMZ as you claim.
You must legally purchase a ticket that gets you to a destination you are legally allowed to enter. 99.9999% of airlines won't let you board a plane without that, because they foot the bill if you get sent back.
I've been in many international transit lounges "in" countries I wasn't legally permitted to enter (no visa).. but I had an onward ticket to a country I could enter, so I was allowed to do it.
> Russia are not harboring him because he's not in Russia, he's in an international transit lounge and therefore not actually in any country.
That's a widespread myth. Russia owns, and exercises control over, the transit area. If someone inside the transit area is wanted on a Russian arrest warrant (or whatever their equivalent is), Russian authorities will go in and get them.
All a transit area really is is a small section of a country that you are allowed to enter without a visa for that country, provided that you are simply passing through. There's nothing otherwise special about them.
It's a myth (I agree) that Russia is exploiting. Countries claim their "transit zones" aren't their soil when it suits them, and don't when it doesn't.
Russia are not harboring him because he's not in Russia
So what happens if you commit a major crime in that area? Who responds to a terrorist event there?
I don't know specific international laws, but I would guess that Russia has such an area for her own convenience (that if you are just passing through there's no need to bother with forcing you through Russian customs). But I would guess that Russia has every ability (and every legal right) to do whatever they want in that area whenever they want to, but is choosing not to on its own accord.
