Russia is discussing with China construction of underwater tunnel for $5 billion, which will connect its territory with occupied Crimea, - WP
At the end of October, Russian and Chinese businessmen with ties to the government secretly began discussing the construction of an underwater tunnel that would connect Russian territory with occupied Crimea. Russians want to be protected from attacks from Ukraine.
The Washington Post writes about this, referring to intercepted emails provided to the publication by unnamed Ukrainian officials, Censor.NET reports.
The publication claims to have verified the authenticity of the messages, citing company registration documents that indicate that a Russian-Chinese consortium involving the individuals mentioned in the emails was recently established in Crimea.
As noted, at the end of October secret negotiations took place between Chinese and Russian businessmen close to the power of the countries. The journalists found out that one of the largest construction companies of the PRC - the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) - agreed to participate in the project.
The company stated that it is ready to "ensure the construction of railway and road facilities of any complexity in the Crimean region."
One of the letters states that CRCC will only be involved under the condition of "strict adherence to complete confidentiality" and that the company's name will be replaced by "another, unrelated entity" in any contracts.
Another email mentions a Chinese bank willing to "convert its dollar funds into rubles for transfer to Crimea to finance (consortium) projects."
The cost of such a tunnel can be $5 billion. At the same time, American officials and engineering experts told the publication that such a project could face "huge obstacles" and construction would take several years.
Analysts say the Kerch tunnel is unlikely to be completed in time to help Russia in its military efforts. Moscow may see it as a long-term investment — one that aims to provide a secure connection to a territory that can be contested for decades.
The project would also create political and financial risks for China, which has never officially recognized Russia's occupation of Crimea, and whose companies could be trapped by economic sanctions imposed by the US and the EU on the aggressor country.
