Ukraine is discussing the construction of a road tunnel under the Dnipro in Kyiv, while the energy system is preparing for new hourly power cuts and Odesa remains under pressure because of Russian attacks on port and transport infrastructure.
The simplest version of the tunnel, without a metro, would cost around $400–500 million, and construction would take two to three years. This was announced by Ukraine’s Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport, Mykola Kalashnyk, quoted by UNIAN.
“The estimated cost of the simplest tunnel without a metro is $400–500 million,” Kalashnyk said.According to him, preliminary talks are under way with the European Investment Bank to secure $100 million to launch preparations for the project. The minister clarified that for now the initiative is at the stage of an idea, concept and design, while plans developed in previous years need to be updated.
Kalashnyk also said that an intermediary company had offered to implement the project, but had not responded to inquiries about its experience in building similar facilities, available resources and readiness to begin work. Alongside the tunnel, Kyiv is also planning to build eight bridge crossings, with the first two potentially entering service next year.
Power cut schedules for November 15
Hourly electricity supply interruption schedules will be in effect in some regions of Ukraine on November 15. “Ukrenergo” said that capacity restrictions would apply to industrial consumers, while all categories of consumers would face cuts affecting one to two queues.
The reason is the impact of Russian attacks on the energy system. The energy operator is urging consumers to monitor the latest schedules issued by regional operators, as they may be changed depending on the load and the condition of the grid.
In Kharkiv Region, outages are scheduled between 08:00 and 24:00. For the different sub-queues, intervals of two to four hours have been specified, including 08:00–11:00, 11:00–14:30, 14:30–18:00, 18:00–22:00 and 22:00–24:00. Hourly restrictions will also be applied in Sumy Region according to the volumes determined by “Ukrenergo”.
Odesa remains key to Ukrainian exports
In an analysis by The i Paper, the Russian strikes on Odesa are presented not only as an attempt to exert economic pressure, but also as part of a broader strategy to limit Ukraine’s presence in the Black Sea. The publication quotes experts who say that Moscow is seeking to disrupt maritime trade and undermine confidence in the safety of shipping.
According to data cited by The i Paper and the Council for Geostrategy, around 70% of Ukrainian grain is transported by sea, while Black Sea ports account for around 90% of grain exports. Expert Luke Coffey describes Odesa as one of the main sources of revenue for the Ukrainian economy during the war.
The attacks target ports, warehouses, logistics facilities, fuel depots, railway hubs and civilian shipping. Russia denies allegations of strikes on civilian vessels. Some Ukrainian exports have been rerouted through Danube ports and overland routes via Moldova, Romania and Poland, but according to the analysis, these routes cannot fully replace Odesa’s capacity.
Sources: unian.net