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Ukraine prepares draft decision to ban railroad communication with Russia

The Russian Foreign Ministry dubbed the initiative absurd

KIEV, August 16./TASS/. The Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry has prepared draft decisions to ban passenger travel and railway communication with Russia that it will shortly refer to the government, Infrastructure Minister Vladimir Omelyan said on Thursday.

Earlier, Omelyan said specialized agencies of the country were ready to halt railway communication with Russia, despite the fact that three out of five most gainful trains of Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) are travelling between Ukraine and Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry dubbed the initiative of the Ukrainian minister absurd.

His moves "are aimed at blocking any contacts between the citizens of Ukraine and Russia," Grigory Karasin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, told TASS earlier.

It is "just impossible" to justify the goals of this policy conducted by Kiev, he said. "I am confident that an increasing number of Ukrainians are realizing it," the deputy minister stressed.

Omelyan earlier told the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 live that Ukraine’s specialized agencies are still considering the possible termination of railroad communication with Russia, despite the high profitability of this transportation. Meanwhile, routes to Russia became the most profitable for Ukraine’s railroads last year, the Ukrainian Railways reported on its website earlier. The Kiev-Moscow train was ranked first, with revenues worth $5.8 million.

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