Plan an undersea tunnel to connect Russia to Crimea in hopes of creating a secure communications route against Ukrainian attacks. According to the US newspaper Washington Post, which reported the wiretapping of Kiev security services, this is the theme of the talks held in great secrecy between Russian and Chinese government leaders.
The meetings between the two delegations in late October emerged amid Russia’s growing concerns about the security of the 11-mile bridge over the Kerch Strait, which served as a key logistics line for the Russian army during the invasion of Ukraine. but was bombed twice by the Kiev government. There are many doubts about the success of the project. According to US experts, the feasibility of the tunnel is yet to be confirmed due to the costs reaching billions of dollars and the fact that the work takes years, especially in war zones.
The US newspaper notes that the project would also pose political and financial risks for China, which has never officially recognized Russia’s annexation of Crimea and whose companies could fall prey to economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by the US and the European Union. . But compromised emails show one of China’s largest construction companies has signaled its willingness to participate.
The authenticity of the messages provided to the Washington Post by Ukrainian officials was also confirmed by other information obtained separately by the Post; these include company filings showing that a Russian-Chinese consortium involving people named in the emails was recently formed in Crimea. -emails that talk, among other things, about meetings with Chinese delegates in Crimea.
In emails circulating among consortium officials in recent weeks, talks with Chinese delegates in Crimea are mentioned. One of them, dated October 4, describes the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) as “ready to ensure the construction of railway and road infrastructure of any complexity in the Crimea region.” The head of the Russian-Chinese consortium based in Sevastopol refused to answer questions about the tunnel project.
Russian businessman Volodymyr Kalyuzhny, listed as the consortium’s CEO, dismissed questions, then abruptly ended the conversation by saying he would not release any information to “hostile media.” In a message to the Russian official, one of Crimea’s main representatives in Moscow, last month, Kalyuzhny said he “received a letter from our Chinese partners about the request of one of the largest Chinese companies, CRCC, to participate as a general contractor.” Construction of a tunnel under the Kerch Strait”.
The email was addressed to Georgy Muradov, who is listed as the permanent representative of the Republic of Crimea to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Muradov did not respond to a request for comment.
Six of the consortium’s nine founding directors are not listed in the registration files. The emails also show China’s efforts to maintain privacy. One of the letters emphasized that the CRCC would only become involved on the condition of “strict adherence to complete confidentiality” and that the company’s name would be replaced by “another unrelated entity” in any contracts. Another email mentions a Chinese bank willing to “convert dollar funds into rubles to transfer to Crimea to finance consortium projects.”
The emails also mention the consortium’s conversations with a CRCC executive identified as Xu Huaxiang, who matches a Chinese national listed as vice president and deputy general manager of the company’s international division.
The statements reported by the US newspaper were denied by Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “It is not even worth commenting on claims that an underwater tunnel is being built to connect Crimea to Russian territory.” He added: “This does not even look like an article from the Washington Post.”
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
