Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, foreign leaders wishing to visit Kyiv have had to travel overland by train. They have used a luxury carriage built in 2014 to take tourists to Crimea. It was used a few times before Russian troops seized control of the peninsula. In January, before the war, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service got a peek on board.
On The VIP Train To Kyiv
Cabin conductor Antonina Baskakova presents the dining car. Also in this part of the carriage, there is a large video monitor.
Next to the dining room there is a soft compartment that sleeps four people. Baskakova says security guards or nannies often sleep in this compartment.
This is a two-person lounge with a king-size bed. Next to the bedroom is a large bathroom with a toilet and shower. The bedroom also comes with a bathrobe, slippers, and clean towels.
This saloon car managed to visit Crimea two-three times before the final termination of rail links between mainland Ukraine and Crimea. Prior to the Russian occupation of Crimea in the spring of 2014, the saloon car was hitched to the Kyiv-Simferopol and Kyiv-Sevastopol scheduled trains.
Within weeks of RFE/RL's visit, these facilities would be used by international leaders on their way to war-torn Kyiv.
These were the first foreign leaders to take the carriage to Kyiv: Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa (left to right), Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
Image via Twitter/Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM), published on March 15
This grainy image is a screengrab from a video showing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on his way to Kyiv on April 9. He said Ukrainian railway staff were "the iron people" keeping the trains running despite the dangers of wartime.
The latest travelers boarded the train in Rzeszow, Poland, on April 13: Latvian President Egils Levits (2nd left), Polish President Andrzej Duda (center), and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda (right).
This photo issued by the Polish president's press office shows them, along with Estonian President Alar Karis (2nd right) on their way to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.