Ukraine shuts passenger rail service with Donetsk republic - Donetsk
DONETSK. Dec 1 (Interfax) - Passenger rail service between Ukraine and the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic was shut down on December 1, the republic's transport minister, Semyon Kuzmenko, told the media.
"Passenger rail services have been cut short. Freight traffic has not been affected yet. The cargo transported via routes in Ukraine stand at just 20% of the usual amount. People give up rail services given the need to travel a circle bypassing our republic," he said.
The bus service remains operational for now, he said.
Kuzmenko said that a large number of Ukrainian road checkpoints on the way towards the Donetsk republic obstruct the movement of motor vehicles carrying food. "Seventy percent of the Ukrainian road checkpoints obstruct food transportation. Carriers are compelled to look for alternative transportation routes," he said.
"The situation cannot be described as a blockade. 'Problems' is the best word to describe it," the transport minister said.
Ukraine's state rail administration (Ukrazaliznytsia) proposed terminating passenger rail services in the zone of the military operation in eastern Ukraine, head of the administration's legal department Oleh Titov announced on November 25.
He said the proposal was pursuant to the presidential decree to enforce the National Security and Defense Council's resolution on urgent measures to stabilize the socioeconomic situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"Concerning passenger rail services, a decision has been made which is expected to be negotiated with the profile ministry. We will suspend passenger rail services in the zone of the military operation," Titov said.
"This means we will ferry passengers to the so-called border," he said.
Ukrazaliznytsia has proposed the most painless option and also considered detours across the Kharkiv region, he said.