Construction is underway for a new railway to connect the Crimea Peninsula to mainland Russia amid Ukraine’s consistent attacks on the Crimean Bridge, according to Russian reports.
Yevgeny Balitsky, Moscow’s appointed head of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine, told reporters Monday that the new railway has begun near the city of Donetsk and will run from Yakymivka, a settlement in Zaporizhzhia, to Rostov, according to the Russian state-owned outlet RIA Novosti.
“By building a railway line…we will solve the problems of the military,” Balitsky said.
In recent months, Ukraine has increased its attacks on the Kerch Straight Bridge that links Crimea—which was annexed by Russia in 2014—to the rest of Russia. Crimea has served as a hub for Russia’s military since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Photo by AFP via Getty
Balitsky noted to reporters Monday that the new railway will help Russia export goods like grains, iron and coal to the rest of the country. He also said that the project would help Moscow’s military by avoiding the Kerch Straight Bridge.
“Because it is not only far to drive across the Crimean Bridge, but today the bridge is also a high-risk object,” Balitsky said, reported RIA Novosti.
Newsweek reached out to the Kremlin’s press team via email for more information.
U.K.’s defense ministry previously assessed that the Kerch Strait Bridge has become a significant security burden for Moscow. Ukraine struck the 12-mile structure in October 2022 and again in July, causing significant damage to the road and railway.
“Although fully operational, use of the bridge remains restricted due to procedures enacted following the first Ukrainian attack in October 2022. Trucks and fuel supplies continue to be moved by ferry,” British defense officials said in October.
On Wednesday, footage circulated online of smoke billowing from the Crimean Bridge after Russian authorities in the area warned of aerial attacks on the peninsula. According to local reports, an air raid alert sounded for roughly two hours and traffic on the bridge was brought to a halt.
Kyiv has vowed that its war with Russia will not end until the Crimea peninsula is returned to Ukrainian control. Ukraine has pushed for several months to regain control of Russian-occupied territory in the southern and eastern region of its country, although General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, warned last week that fighting against Moscow is caught in a stalemate.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.