Ban due on direct flights between Russia and Ukraine

Direct flights between Ukraine and Russia will stop on Sunday (October 25), as new sanctions initiated by Kiev - the capital and largest city of Ukraine - come into effect.

Lilacs in the National Botanical Garden, with the Vydubychi Monastery, Darnitskiy Rail Bridge and left-bank Kiev visible in the background

Moscow first called Kiev's ban on Russian airlines "madness", then announced that it would mirror the move. Ukraine now says flights will end at midnight on Saturday, after last-minute crisis talks failed. The sanctions are intended to punish Russia for annexing Crimea and supporting armed rebels in eastern Ukraine. The fact that they have been introduced now, when a ceasefire is finally holding on the ground, shows how bitter relations remain.

Pebble beach in Kanaka, Crimea – a region absorbed into the Russian Federation, though this is not recognised by Ukraine or most of the international community

Up to 70,000 passengers a month will be affected. Russia's transport minister has estimated that the loss in ticket sales to both countries will run to around $110m a year, with two-thirds of passengers travelling on Russian airlines.

Up to 70,000 passengers a month will be affected, with most of them travelling on Russian airlines

The ban is already angering passengers from both countries. Said a Ukrainian upon checking-in for one of the last remaining flights to Kiev from Moscow, after visiting his Russian wife and daughter,

"The government does things and it's the people who suffer. Russia and Ukraine are like one country for me. Half of Ukraine is married to Russians. So this is total nonsense.”

Sheremetyevo International Airport, a hub for passenger operations of the Russian international airline Aeroflot, and one of the three major airports that serve Moscow

Last-minute talks to find a compromise are under way - so far to no avail - and the chances of success look slim in this climate. So as of Sunday, passengers will be forced to take longer, more expensive routes via third countries, or to brace themselves for a 13-hour trip by train.

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)