Drone Threat Disrupts Crimean Rail Service, Eight Trains Delayed

Eight Tavria passenger trains traveling from Crimea to mainland Russia are running late Thursday after drone-related safety concerns forced a temporary halt to rail service the previous day, according to operator Grand Service Express (GSE).

The company said the delays stem from a suspension of movement ordered Wednesday morning due to the threat of unmanned aerial vehicles. That stoppage initially affected 13 trains, but the ripple effects are still being felt.

As of 9 a.m. Moscow time, the most severe delays are on trains that departed Crimea on June 3. The Sevastopol-to-Moscow service (No. 092) is running 11 hours behind schedule. The Evpatoria-to-Moscow train (No. 174) is six hours late, and the Simferopol-to-St. Petersburg route (No. 078) is delayed by five hours.

Four trains that left on June 4 are also affected. The Simferopol-to-Omsk service (No. 076) is four and a half hours behind, while the Sevastopol-to-Moscow train (No. 092) is six and a half hours late. Two other Simferopol-to-Moscow trains are delayed by one and a half hours (No. 098) and two and a half hours (No. 028).

A fifth train from June 4, the Simferopol-to-Moscow No. 098, is running five hours late. Another Simferopol-to-Moscow service that departed June 5 is also five hours behind.

GSE said passengers on trains delayed more than four hours are receiving food and water. The company warned that delay times may change and that train conductors are updating passengers on expected arrival times as new information comes in.