Ukrzaliznytsia has resumed train service between Odessa and Chisinau for the first time since 2022.

The rail service became essential after enemy shelling of the bridge in the Mayak area, and in just the first three hours after sales opened, passengers sold out 60% of tickets, the company reports.

Flights from Odesa currently operate daily. A ticket in a compartment costs 4,313 UAH, while a reserved seat costs 3,004 UAH, and the journey takes 18.5 hours.

Meanwhile, restoration of the bridge in Mayaki continues. According to Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction Oleksiy Kuleba, the enemy launched approximately 20 air strikes at this location.

“We immediately deployed the pontoon bridge after the damage—it allows for reverse traffic. We’ll install another one in the next few days. We’re also developing an additional alternative route, which we’ll deploy within a week,” he noted.

The Odesa Regional Police added that passenger cars, minibuses, and small trucks are currently allowed to cross the Dniester. They promise to further improve travel conditions along the usual routes within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Grigoriy Melnichenko, son-in-law of former regional governor Serhiy Hrynevetskyi and former head of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi District Council, is proposing an alternative way to bypass the damaged section. He advertises “water taxi” services on social media. A boat crossing the Dniester costs between 2,500 and 10,000 hryvnias. However, the question of who is responsible for public safety remains open.

It should be noted that Melnichenko is also part of the team that shoots predatory and harmful animals in the hunting grounds of the company “Hunter and Fisherman of the 21st Century.”

Dumskaya also wrote that he  lost his position after he  was accused of stealing a boat in the summer of 2023.

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