Against the background of the war with Ukraine, Russia is forced to abandon two megaprojects at once due to the lack of financial resources in the government, the Minister of Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexei Chekunkov said in an interview with RBC.
According to information, we are talking about building a bridge on the island of Sakhalin and the Railway between Yakutsk and Magadan, the total cost of projects is estimated at 2.3 trillion rubles. Both projects did not fall into a comprehensive plan for modernization and expansion of the main infrastructure, since the government considered them “non -rich”, the minister explained. Instead, Russia will focus on the implementation of the Northern Sea Logistics projects, primarily the Northern Sea Route, the creation of additional border crossings between Russia and China, as well as to build up warehouses.
According to him, the principle of concession (with the participation of private capital) can save the railway between Yakutsk and Magadan. He also noted that in the current conditions, the state cannot provide budget financing. The administration of Yakutia estimates the cost of the road at 830 billion – 1.7 trillion rubles, and allocate this money, according to the minister, in the current conditions “a little unrealistic.” Nevertheless, the region’s authorities insist on the implementation of the project and intend to carry out planning work this summer.