Zaporozhye Governor Yevgeny Balitsky, in his Telegram channel, reported that Russia is building a railway to Crimea through the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions, which are now part of the Russian Federation. The railway, which is already being built, will connect Rostov-on-Don with the Crimea region, pass through Mariupol and Berdyansk, and end at Yakymivka, a little south of Melitopol. The new route, according to Balitsky, will be an improvement over the current route, which passes over the Kerch Bridge, that has been a Ukrainian target.
Balitsky noted that the new line will be a safe distance from the conflict zone and pointed out that the existing rail infrastructure was already obsolete due to years of neglect by the post-2014 regime in Kiev. The new line will allow efficient transportation of grain, coal, and iron ore to Russia. In addition, a new highway is planned, linking Rostov-on-Don and Dzhankoi and running through the Zaporozhye region.
