Russia Railway Troops to Finish Grading Works for Road Bypassing Ukraine in June

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov stated that the Russian Railway Troops almost finished the grading works as part of the construction of a railroad bypassing Ukraine.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian Railway Troops have finished 97 percent of the grading works as part of the construction of a railroad bypassing Ukraine and are expected to finalize the process in June, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov said Saturday.

"As of now 97 percent of grading works, which amounts to 9.6 million cubic meters [33 billion cubic feet], has been finished. The remaining works amounting to 100 cubic meters will be finished in June," Bulgakov told reporters after arriving in Russia's Voronezh Region to check the progress of the work.

The construction of the railroad to connect Russia's Rostov and Voronezh regions bypassing the Ukrainian territory was launched in 2015. The decision was taken against the background of the conflict in Ukraine to ensure security of passengers and cargo transportation.

The military conflict in Ukraine began in 2014 after eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk refused to recognize the new government that came to power in Kiev. The sides managed to reach a ceasefire agreement in Minsk in 2015, but the situation has remained tense since then. In addition, relations between Russia and Ukraine have seriously deteriorated as Kiev accused Moscow of military involvement in the conflict, which was repeatedly denied in the Kremlin.