Crimea Bans Nighttime Motorcycle Riding to Avoid Disrupting Air Defense
Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea have imposed a nighttime curfew on motorcycles and other motorized bikes from June 17, aiming to prevent engine noise from interfering with air defense forces tracking Ukrainian drones.
The Kremlin-backed administration in occupied Crimea announced a nighttime ban on motorcycles and other motorized two-wheelers starting June 17, in an effort to stop loud engine noise from disrupting air defense units that track incoming Ukrainian drones.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed governor of Crimea, announced the curfew on Tuesday, a day after his adviser criticized noisy motorbikes for allegedly interfering with the work of mobile air defense firing groups during air raid alerts. State media reported that bikers on the peninsula were deliberately riding during Ukrainian drone attacks at the request of certain individuals on messaging apps for small financial rewards.
Aksyonov said the movement of motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, ATVs and similar vehicles will be strictly banned between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. from June 17 until further notice. “The main goal of these measures is to ensure public safety and to protect military personnel, government installations and specialized facilities,” Aksyonov wrote on Telegram.
The motorcycle ban follows other transportation restrictions in Crimea. Last week, authorities suspended rail service between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. across the peninsula after a deadly Ukrainian drone attack on a passenger train locomotive. Ukraine’s military also claimed that Russia banned all military cargo traffic along the Novorossiya highway, a vital transit link from Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia through occupied Ukrainian territories to Simferopol.
For weeks, Ukraine has intensified its targeted drone campaign against military trucks and fuel tankers that supply Crimea from the north, causing a local gasoline shortage. While the peninsula is connected to mainland Russia via the Kerch Bridge in the east, Ukrainian attacks in recent years have led Moscow to restrict its use for hazardous cargo like fuel. Instead, supply lines have relied on northern land corridors. Ukraine’s military claims that average daily traffic along the Novorossiya highway dropped by over 40% between early May and early June.
