The construction of the structure is planned near the Crimean Bridge.
Russian and Chinese businessmen with ties to the government have held secret discussions about plans to build an undersea tunnel connecting Russia to Crimea. The parties intend to develop a transport route protected from attacks from Ukraine.
The Washington Post writes about this.
Of course, Russia is very concerned that this illegally built structure across the Kerch Strait – a key logistics route for the Russian military – has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine. The Crimean Bridge remains a vulnerable target.
As noted in the publication, the negotiations mark Russia's determination to maintain control over the peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014. There is also talk of Moscow's increasing dependence on Beijing as a source of global support.
What is known about the project
Construction of a tunnel next to the existing bridge will face formidable obstacles, according to US officials and engineering experts. But despite doubts about the viability of this plan, Russia has clear reasons for pursuing it. Having failed to achieve a decisive victory in the war, Russia faces the risk that Ukraine will try to attack the Kerch Bridge.
It should be noted that the project will also create political and financial risks for China, which has never officially recognized the annexation of Crimea and whose companies could be trapped by economic sanctions that the United States and the European Union have imposed on Russia. However, intercepted emails indicate that one of China's largest construction companies has expressed a willingness to participate.
The messages were provided to The Washington Post by Ukrainian officials who hope to expose the project and the potential involvement of China, which was recently formed in Crimea,” the journalists noted.
In particular, in one of the letters , the Chinese railway construction corporation CRCC expressed its readiness to ensure the construction of railways and roads of any complexity in the Crimean region. The state-owned company is known to have established strong ties with Russia through various projects, including the expansion of the Moscow metro system, which was completed in 2021.
Both the Chinese and Russian sides refused to comment on the information. Analysts note that the names of Russian businessmen are not indicated in public documents in order to circumvent sanctions. Moreover, China is also trying to hide its participation in the project.
“It is noted that CRCC will only participate under “strict conditions of complete confidentiality” and that the company name will be replaced by “another, independent legal entity” in any contracts. Another letter mentions a Chinese bank wanting to “convert its dollar funds into rubles for their transfer to Crimea to finance projects,” the Post writes.
Experts also accurately described the pragmatic motives of the parties :
Given the risks of sanctions and sabotage, US officials and experts doubt China would risk intervention . The fact is that Ukrainian intelligence officers with deep ties to the CIA are waging a shadow war against Russia.
Experts from major international transport projects have said that construction is technically feasible , but it will take many years and money. It is comparable in scale to the eight-year-old tunnel between Denmark and Germany, and its cost is expected to exceed $8.7 billion. Its construction should be completed towards the end of the decade.
As for the deployment of the project under risk conditions, it is true that underground work can be carried out almost safely, but thousands of employees, expensive equipment and large construction sites will remain within the reach of Ukrainian missiles. Because of the threat of strikes, Russia and China will likely be unable to use new construction methods using giant dredging vessels on the surface of the water, experts say. At the same time, they will have no choice but to use traditional tunnel boring technology.
The engineers explain that this will be very difficult to sabotage unless the entrances are attacked. Construction of a tunnel across the Kerch Strait would likely cost at least $5 billion and would require the Russian military to protect not only the strait, but also the necessary production facilities on shore. So this is a high risk operation.
Earlier, a colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said whether Ukraine is capable of destroying the Crimean Bridge today.
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