Sochi FC Takes the Long Road to St. Petersburg for Key Match

The Russian Premier League clash between FC Sochi and Zenit St. Petersburg is taking an unexpected detour—by land. Due to ongoing flight restrictions across southern Russia, the Sochi squad will travel by bus to Moscow, then catch a high-speed train to St. Petersburg for their May 9 fixture.

Club officials confirmed the revised itinerary late Wednesday. Originally scheduled to fly directly to St. Petersburg on Thursday, the team instead loaded onto two coaches Wednesday evening for the roughly 1,500-kilometer drive to the capital. From there, they’ll board a Sapsan train to complete the journey.

The travel chaos stems from a drone strike on an air navigation facility in Rostov-on-Don earlier this week. Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles hit the administrative building of the Southern Russia Air Navigation branch, prompting the Russian Ministry of Transport to suspend operations at 13 airports across the region. The affected hubs include Sochi, Krasnodar, Volgograd, Mineralnye Vody, and nine others, with the flight ban currently in effect until at least May 12. Rosaviatsia, the federal air transport agency, says the timeline could be shortened if conditions improve.

For Sochi, the disruption means extra hours on the road ahead of a crucial match that could impact their league standing. The club has not commented on whether the travel will affect player rest or preparation.