Kremlin-backed authorities in annexed Crimea said they will impose a nighttime curfew on motorcycles and other motorized bikes starting Wednesday in an effort to prevent loud engine noise from interfering with air defense forces tracking incoming Ukrainian drones.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed governor of Crimea, announced the curfew on Tuesday, a day after his adviser criticized loud motorbikes for allegedly disrupting the work of mobile air defense firing groups during air raid alerts.
State media reports claimed that bikers in the peninsula were purposely driving on the road 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 modes of transportation 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 in a post on Telegram.
