Finland’s national railway operator March 25 announced that it would suspend services between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg in Russia.
Finnish state-owned train company VR on Monday, March 28 suspended all services to and from Russia due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The war has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
Russian Railways said in a short statement they were aware of the Finnish decision due to sanctions.
Trains from Russia to Finland’s capital Helsinki have been packed with Russians in recent weeks as some used it to leave the country urgently and mutual airspace closures cut off flight connections between Russia and the EU, according to Reuters.
The border between Finland and Russia remains open for crossings by private car.
Russia cancelled its passenger train routes to EU countries in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, including the Leo Tolstoy, a Russian train which used to go from Moscow to Helsinki via Saint Petersburg.
Finland’s Allegro train was one of the last rail connections between Russia and the EU.
Source: AA, Reuters
