Are we in Russia or Ukraine

[msmobyone]

Took the train from Sochi to Moscow with SC

I have been warned by many folks that this is something you'd only want to do once - but I loved it..39 hours

We had a 4 berth 'coupe' and it's pot luck who you get as company.

I was certain the train went through Ukraine north of Rostov and it DOES  ?!


Our train stopped for a few minutes at this place..It was called Chertkovo on the Russian side.I recognised the place from a Beeb article. [ see south on attached map]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34066101

The couple sharing with us were from Krasnodar - we had two guys from Sochi to there.

Yuri bought Kolbasa -we were looking for beer... but there wasn't any on board to be bought..


We were not allowed off the train - just to buy stuff. As we pulled off, I started taking video out of the window. ..thinking the road was in Ukraine..not realising the TRAIN was going in and out of Ukraine.

At one point - the line is nearly 5km IN Ukraine - Kharkiv/ Kharhkov region

There IS no visible barrier and I spotted ONE soldier standing in an alleyway between Cherkovo and Milove ... I could not say of which nation .I saw UA flags on the UA side...

This region is clearly under Kyiv control and the bus stops were painted blue and yellow.

I thought it bizarre that the line went so far into Ukraine.

In the light of the situation, further south  - It all seemed surreal.


Who maintains the railway - when in Ukraine ? I'm guessing this is one area where it is important-for now - keep good relations.




The best news ? As I stopped filming the desolate, lightly snow covered region..A seller who boarded the train at Chertkovo, had beers for sale - Baltika 7 and we enjoyed a good lunch.

SC took the photo - of Yuri and I ..it is dark.. as it turns out we were in Ukraine  :chuckle:

[msmob]

My thanks to someone - somewhere - else pointing out that this bizarre ride in Ukraine on a Russian train is going to end, soon

My 'living' to recount the tale - having survived the experience - along with the Russian Railways staff and passengers since 2014 demonstrates that 'warn-torn' was not an accurate description of the area though which we passed.

http://www.rt.com/business/399308-russia-railway-bypassing-ukraine/

[Anotherkiwi]

You need to repost your photos - the infamous bucket has swallowed them up!

[msmob]

You missed my thread on Photobucket's blackmail tactics AND my strap-line ?   

When I'm back in the UK - I'm mostly writing using an iffy 4G connection from  a Dacha in the middle of no-where I will try to sort this out ...

I am NOT paying  a company that overnight changes it's policy and leaves hundreds of links useless unless you pay - just because they changed their biz model overnight

The images are safe ... just need to re-edit the links

[Anotherkiwi]

You missed my thread on Photobucket's blackmails tactics AND my strap-line ?   

No, I didn't - that's why I posted it!