PRESS: Ukraine may halt railway travel with Russia from Jul 1

MOSCOW, May 25 (PRIME) -- Ukraine may suspend railway communication with Russia from July 1, Kommersant business daily reported on Thursday citing sources in Kiev.

“Ukraine is preparing to stop passenger railway communication with Russia from around July 1,” the daily said citing a source close to Ukraine’s government.

The source said that Russian Railways’ unwillingness to “suspend passenger shipping to Russia from the anti-terrorist operations zone, in particular from Donetsk, which violates Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” will be used as a pretext for this move.

A spokesperson for State Administration of Railway Transport of Ukraine said no decision has been made on the matter. A spokesperson for Russian Railways said the company has received no documents concerning this issue.

“The plans are confirmed by officials neither in Moscow, nor in Kiev. Kommersant’s Ukrainian sources said the decision is ‘actively forced’ by head of the National Security and Defense Council Alexander Turchinov and speaker of the parliament Andrei Paruby, whose tough position has often been endorsed by President Pyotr Poroshenko lately,” the daily said.

End