Russian Invasion Of Ukraine:
Why Has The Rail Sector Been
Less Decisive Than The Airline Sector?
BRUSSELS, March 1

st 2022: two days ago on Sunday, the President of the European
Commission Dr. Ursula von der Leyen personally announced that the EU will ban
Russian aircraft - as a response to the invasion of Ukraine1

last Thursday.
Some airlines were even faster: last Friday, Delta Air Lines already announced it
that was ending its partnership with the Russian airline Aeroflot "immediately"2
.
There has been a contrast between the firm & decisive measures to strengthen
trade restrictions against Russia in the airline sector compared to the rail sector.
This is a surprise, considering the major role that the Russian rail operator RZD
played in moving Putin's military to Ukraine's border over the recent months3
.
As we speak, European railway operators of all kinds (RegioJet, PKP, Leo Express, ČD
and many others) are doing amazing work rescuing refugees from the war zone.
Yes, both the EU & the USA have included Russian Railways ("RZD") in their sanction
list, albeit with less media attention than for airlines. At the same time, it is worrying
to read in the rail trade press that: "sanctions are a complicated matter, which can
often be circumvented. Industry professionals say that business is not affected."
4
ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks states: "all European rail companies currently
working together with RZD should emulate Delta Air Lines and unequivocally
commit to stop doing so - as long as the aggressor Putin remains in power".
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian national rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia has issued a new
press statement5 urging all operators to stop freight & passenger services to Russia
and for all worldwide railway organisations to expel RZD immediately. As of today,
some of these organisations still show RZD as a full member. ALLRAIL urges them to
throw out RZD right away and transfer any membership dues already paid by the
Russians to Ukrzaliznytsia instead. To summarise: #WeStandWithUkrzaliznytsia

1 https://twitter.com/vonderleyen/status/1497973334847414278
2 https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/25/delta-air-lines-cuts-ties-with-aeroflot-after-russia-attacks-ukraine.html
3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoJC7L4On-A

4 https://www.railfreight.com/policy/2022/02/28/no-business-with-russian-railways-say-the-us-and-
eu/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20week%202022-09

5 https://uz.gov.ua/press_center/up_to_date_topic/page-2/577398/
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Posted by Telewizja Opera on 06:13. Filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0