Tickets for train journeys to Crimea from Moscow and St. Petersburg go on sale

Russia has begun selling tickets for direct train journeys to Crimea at 24 sales points today.

Direct trains from Moscow and St. Petersburg will start to run in late December.

The first trains are expected to leave St. Petersburg on December 23, with tickets for the 43-hour journey to Crimea’s Sevastopol starting at 3,650 rubles ($57).

Trains from Moscow will depart for Simferopol on December 24, with tickets starting at 2,966 rubles ($46) for the 33-hour ride, the Moscow Times reported.

Grand Service Express, a private company that services the Moscow-St. Petersburg Grand Express train, is operating the Crimean service.