Ukraine and Moldova to Build Bridge Across Dniester River

The Moldovan Parliament has ratified an agreement between the governments of Moldova and Ukraine regarding the construction of a bridge across the Dniester River, connecting the Moldovan border village of Cosăuţi and the Ukrainian town of Yampil. The project was approved by 57 deputies.

According to a report from NewsMaker, citing the legislative body's press service, the construction of this cross-border road bridge will link the infrastructure of both countries along the T-02-02 route from Mohyliv-Podilskyi to Yampil, and the national road R14 – from Cosăuţi to the Ukrainian border.

Under the plan, the Ukrainian government will finance the technical design and construction of the bridge and necessary infrastructure on its side, while the Moldovan government will do the same on its territory. This includes the construction of a road from the R14 route to Cosăuţi. The Ministry of Infrastructure states that Moldova will commence construction works after the agreement is signed, and the overall project cost is estimated at $90 million. However, this is a preliminary calculation, and the exact cost will be determined after finalizing the technical specifications.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has already started preliminary work on its side and plans to complete it by the end of this year. The project's estimated cost in Ukraine is around 3.38 billion Ukrainian hryvnias (approximately $119 million).

Kyiv officials assert that this bridge will be the shortest route connecting the Baltic and Balkan countries, making it economically beneficial not only for Ukraine and Moldova but also for the entire European Union.

Moldovan authorities believe that this project will foster economic ties between the two regions. In particular, the bridge will integrate the road network of the eastern part of Moldova into the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), facilitating trade, mobility of citizens, and strengthening Moldova's role as a connecting link between the European Union and neighboring countries.

Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov also emphasized that the bridge will provide Ukrainian exporters with the shortest route from central Ukraine to Central and Southeastern European countries, bypassing Transnistria. Additionally, it will serve as an alternative to the non-operational Yampil-Cosăuţi ferry crossing, relieving congestion at one of the border checkpoints between the countries.

The initiative to build this bridge across the Dniester River was announced back in 2012, originating from local authorities in the border regions of both countries. In 2018, Ukraine completed the technical design project, and in 2021, Moldova and Ukraine signed a memorandum on developing the transport-transit potential of both countries, which included the construction of the Cosăuţi-Yampil bridge. An additional agreement on the bridge's future maintenance is also planned.

On June 5, 2023, Moldovan President Maia Sandu announced her agreement with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign a bilateral agreement on the construction of the Cosăuţi-Yampil bridge at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border during a summit of the European Political Community.

The agreement between the governments of Moldova and Ukraine for the construction of this transnational bridge across the Dniester River was signed in Kyiv on June 12, 2023.

According to the Moldovan Road Administration, the bridge will be approximately 641 meters long, featuring two traffic lanes, two safety lanes, two bicycle lanes, two pedestrian walkways, and an approximately 667-meter-long viaduct from the Ukrainian side. Ukrainian media report that some parts of the bridge will have support structures reaching 40 meters high, and the bridge's capacity is expected to handle 5,000 vehicles per day. The bridge is scheduled to be operational by 2025.

As previously reported by The Gaze, the Kremlin announced its withdrawal from the so-called grain agreement, which had partially restored Ukrainian grain exports to global markets previously blocked by Russian forces. This development is affecting grain supplies to several African countries heavily reliant on Ukrainian agricultural produce, leaving their populations on the brink of hunger and mass migration.

On Monday, July 17, the press secretary of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, announced Russia's unilateral cessation of participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was signed between Russia, Turkey, and the UN. Peskov stated, 'The Black Sea accords, in essence, have now concluded. As President of the Russian Federation had stated earlier, the term ended on July 17. Unfortunately, some obligations regarding Russia in this Black Sea Agreement have not been fulfilled. Therefore, its validity has been terminated.'"