Crimean President Sergei Aksyonov indicated that the launch of a passenger railway linking the peninsula with the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions has been postponed for security reasons.

In a televised address, he explained that “our colleagues from the Ministry of Defense and the FSB have not yet given a green light regarding security,” stressing: “I agree, there are concerns about these sections (railways) being in range of enemy artillery, and they may try to strike. At the moment, the launch has been postponed until security measures are in place.”

Aksyonov said that the bus service works, but very few people use it – up to 250 people a day, since most of them choose personal transport.

Crimea began bus service with the cities of Kherson, Berdyansk and Melitopol on July 1, while passenger rail service was supposed to be launched on the same day, but was postponed due to security reasons.