Russia-Ukraine War: Latest News

Finland’s national railway operator will suspend trips between the capital Helsinki and the Russian city of St. Petersburg, a connection that for weeks had been crammed with Russians leaving their country.

The operator, VR Group, said the decision to halt the service starting Monday stemmed from Western sanctions on Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The trains operating the link are owned by Karelian Trains, a joint venture between the Finnish state rail operator VR and Russia’s state-owned railway RZD.

Earlier this month, VR said it was going to add trains to its Helsinki-St. Petersburg connection, known as Allegro, even though it didn’t make financial sense as trains going to Russia were nearly empty.

“Until now, we have continued to operate Allegro in accordance with official instructions, and the purpose has been to secure access to Finland for Finns. During these weeks, people who have wanted to leave Russia have had time to leave the country,” Topi Simola, VR’s passenger-traffic director said Friday.

“Now, according to the state ownership control, it is no longer appropriate to continue operating Allegro’s traffic due to sanctions, so we will suspend traffic for the time being,” he said.

The move further isolates Russia from the global transport system. The country’s airlines already have largely been cut off from the global aviation network.

The train link with Finland had grown in importance as flight options became more limited and sanctions, growing isolation and fear of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repressive rule are driving thousands of Russians out of their country.

Many Russians have fled to neighboring Georgia, Moldova or the Baltic states, and a significant number have traveled westwards to Finland, using buses, trains or cars. In some cases, they have moved on, taking flights no longer accessible back home. Some Russians fear that Mr. Putin might declare martial law and seal the borders.