VR: Allegro train will continue to run between Helsinki and St. Petersburg to take out everyone who wants to leave

The Finnish railway company VR said that passenger services on the Allegro train between St. Petersburg and Helsinki will continue at the request of the Finnish authorities, writes Yle.

At the same time, the head of the company, Lauri Sipponen, sent a letter to Russian Railways CEO Oleg Belozerov stating that the company would refrain from “any contact with Russian Railways, except for the necessary communications required for cross-border transportation,” in connection with the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

Sipponen said that VR will continue to travel “to ensure the Finns can return home and allow Russians who want to leave their country to travel outside of Russia.” He noted that currently Allegro “is practically the only option for those Russians who leave their homeland.”

The company emphasized that the issue of terminating the railway service “is being decided both at the level of the EU and the government of Finland.” VR, as a state-owned company, will follow the instructions of the authorities.

Recall, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an emergency appeal to the Russians and announced a special military operation in the Donbass. In his speech, he stated that “circumstances require decisive action from Russia” and stressed that “Russia will not allow Ukraine to have nuclear weapons.” In response to Russia’s actions, Western countries (USA, Canada, European Union, Great Britain, Japan) announced new, tougher sanctions against the Russian Federation, including financial and economic ones.

You can follow the chronicle of events in connection with the situation in Ukraine here.