Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea have restricted the nighttime use of motorcycles, scooters and quad bikes, saying their engines sound like drones and interfere with air defense operations.
The ban will be in force from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting today, Reuters reported, citing Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed head of Crimea. Aksyonov described the measure as temporary and said it was intended to protect military and other important facilities. The restriction does not apply to cars or larger vehicles.
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“The moped noise hampers the work of defense systems. Their engines sound similar [to drones],” Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to Aksyonov, wrote on Telegram. “The enemy is recruiting your children for nighttime rides.”
The measure comes as Ukrainian drone attacks on occupied Crimea have intensified, targeting supply routes and contributing to fuel shortages on the peninsula, which is also home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Sevastopol’s Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said late Tuesday that a limit of 20 liters, or 5.3 gallons, of fuel per car at local gas stations would remain in place.
Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, has long been promoted by Moscow as a summer tourist destination. But Ukrainian strikes on military sites, supply routes and energy infrastructure have increasingly exposed the peninsula’s vulnerability.
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The new restrictions suggest that even civilian sounds are now being treated through the lens of drone anxiety, as Moscow-installed officials try to distinguish local traffic from incoming Ukrainian attacks.
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