Underwater tunnel to occupied Crimea: Russia is discussing with China the construction of an underwater tunnel through the Kerch Strait - WP
Kyiv • UNN
Russia and China are discussing the construction of an underwater tunnel to the occupied Crimea. The possible project is related to Russia's concerns about the security of the bridge across the Kerch Strait. American experts note the high cost and difficulty of building such a project in a war zone.
According to the Washington Post, citing Ukrainian officials, Russian and Chinese businessmen with ties to the government, are secretly discussing the construction of an underwater tunnel to connect Russia with the occupied Crimea. According to other information obtained by the American publication, a Russian-Chinese consortium has allegedly already been created in the occupied Crimea for the possible construction of the tunnel, UNN reports .
Details
According to WP, in late October, negotiations were held between Chinese and Russian businessmen close to the governments of the countries on the construction of an underwater tunnel that would connect Russia with the occupied peninsula. The project is allegedly linked to Russia's concerns about the security of the bridge across the Kerch Strait, which served as a key logistics line for the Russian military but has become a vulnerable target. The publication also reports on the participation of one of China's largest construction companies, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), in the tunnel project.
It is noted that the relevant information was provided to The Washington Post by Ukrainian officials. In addition, the authenticity of the reports was confirmed by other information obtained separately by the publication - corporate registration files. According to these data, meetings on the proposed project have already taken place, and a Russian-Chinese consortium has recently been established in the occupied Crimea.
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Among the revelations, it is also indicates that the state-owned Chinese Railway Construction Corporation CRCC "is ready to ensure the construction of railway and road facilities of any complexity in the Crimean region".
American officials and engineering experts told the Washington Post that the project is technically possible, but the construction of a tunnel near the existing bridge would face huge obstacles. Experts emphasized that work of this magnitude of this scale is likely to cost billions of dollars and take years, and most importantly - it has never been done in a war zone.