The more than 700 km long railway line that Russia is building through occupied parts of Ukraine is almost ready. “The completion of this railway could pose a serious problem for us,” said Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine’s intelligence service.
The railway is being built to connect the Russian port city of Rostov-on-Don with Crimea – the main logistics hub in southern Ukraine. The route passes through key areas in occupied Ukraine, including Donetsk, Mariupol and Berdyansk.
The new rail route thus provides an alternative to the Kerch Bridge, which is regularly attacked by Ukrainian drones.
LOOK. Ukrainian drone strikes Crimean bridge
“Russia has actually been building a railway line to connect with the occupied Ukrainian territories for more than a year. This process is almost complete and it could pose a serious problem for us,” Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainian state TV. The intelligence chief added that he believes Ukraine can handle “this problem,” but gave no further details.
After his re-election as president, Vladimir Putin announced that a crucial segment of the railway had been completed. “We are continuing with this project and soon trains will run all the way to Crimea, and this will be another alternative route, in addition to the existing Crimean Bridge,” he said.
Mission
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, said last month that Moscow is “trying to strengthen the railway connection” due to frequent Ukrainian attacks on the Crimean Bridge, adding that Kiev’s “mission” is to prevent Russia can complete the construction of the railway.
“The Russians are not satisfied with what is happening with the Crimean Bridge,” Yusov said. “That’s why they’re trying to strengthen the rail connection.”
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Tags: Putins railway occupied Ukraine finished problem warns Ukrainian intelligence service War Ukraine Russia
