Trains from Belarus to Ukraine will stop running

Trains from Belarus to Ukraine to stop running since May 27.

Ukrzaliznitsia company (Ukrainian Railways), which controls vast majority of the railroad transportation in Ukraine, asked JSC Russian Railways (JSC RZD) to stop selling railway tickets to all trains running through Ukrainian territory since May 27, because of desynchronization of the schedules of trains going to Crimea, Kommersant newspaper informed on Friday.

The same letter was received by the Belarusian Railways as well, the newspaper informs.

On Thursday TV channel Russia 24 was told by the head of RZD Vladimir Yakunin that railway traffic between Ukraine and Crimea could be suspended. As said by him, “due to a certain desynchronization of schedules this traffic could stop completely, at least for some time.”

RZD had received a telegram from Kyiv about that on Wednesday evening. “In connection with mismatch of the traffic schedules for the years 2014-2015 for trains between the territory of continental Ukraine and the Crimean Autonomous Republic, starting from May 27 and until recalled, I ask to stop selling tickets for all trains running through the territory of Ukraine,” the source told to the newspaper.

He explains to Kommersant that “because the wording of the message is ambiguous”, RZD can stop selling tickets to Ukraine and Crimea completely.