KYIV - Ukrainian railways, celebrating the liberation of the southern city of Kherson, on Sunday offered symbolic tickets to the cities that remain under Russian control, promising that tickets can be used after they are liberated.
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Jubilant residents welcomed Ukrainian troops arriving in the centre of Kherson on Friday after Russia abandoned the only regional capital it had captured since its invasion began in February.
"Today you can order tickets for the first three trains from Kyiv to five cities: already de-occupied Kherson, as well as Mariupol, Donetsk, Luhansk and Simferopol," the railway operator said on telegram messaging apps.
"The ticket can be purchased, kept as a symbol of faith in the Armed Forces and the liberation of Ukraine from the occupiers," it said. "As soon as traffic is restored, railway officials will send a message with the date and location."
Ticket prices started at 1,000 hryvnias ($27.40).
Mariupol, a port on the Sea of Azov and a heart of Ukrainian metallurgy industry, was occupied by Russian forces in May after a nearly four-month siege.
Two largest cities in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, came under the control of pro-Russian separatists in 2014, while Simferopol is the second-largest city on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.