Russian-appointed authorities in annexed Crimea have imposed a nighttime ban on motorcycles and four-wheelers since Wednesday. The noise of their engines allegedly complicated the activity of the air defense when tracking the attacking Ukrainian drones. TASR writes about it according to The Moscow Times and the decree of the head of the Republic of Crimea no. 188-U.
Russian-appointed governor Sergei Aksionov issued the decree a day after his aide criticized bikers for allegedly disrupting the work of mobile air defense fire groups during an air strike. State media claimed that bikers in Crimea were deliberately riding even during Ukrainian drone attacks “at the request of certain persons in messaging applications for small financial rewards”.
According to the decree, the movement of motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, four-wheelers and similar vehicles will be restricted until further notice strictly prohibited from June 17 between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. “The primary objective of these measures is to ensure public safety and protect military personnel, government facilities and specialized facilities,” Aksionov wrote.
The night ban on motorcycles is part of the traffic restrictions in Crimea. Last week, authorities suspended rail service between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. across the peninsula after a deadly Ukrainian drone attack on a passenger train locomotive.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia has also banned military cargo transport along the strategic Novorusko highway from Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia through occupied Ukrainian territories to Simferopol. There, Ukraine continues targeted drone attacks against military trucks and fuel tankers, which supply Crimea from the north, where there is a shortage of gasoline.
The Ukrainian military says average daily traffic on the Novorusko highway dropped by more than 40 percent between early May and early June. The army previously restricted the transport of dangerous goods, including fuel, through the strategic Kerch bridge in southeastern Crimea.
