Ukraine Set to Join Europe–Asia Digital Corridor via Black Sea Cable, Skirting Russia

Ukraine will soon become part of a major digital infrastructure corridor connecting Europe and Asia through the Black Sea, as an undersea internet cable project led by Vodafone Group and Vodafone Ukraine moves forward. The system, known as Kardesa, will bypass Russian territory entirely, bolstering regional security and connectivity.

The Gaze reports this, referring to an announcement made by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

The project is scheduled to begin construction in 2027, with work starting in Bulgaria. The total investment is expected to exceed €100 million.

“Vodafone will lay a state-of-the-art cable system across the Black Sea. This new digital route will connect Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Turkey,” Fedorov said.

The Kardesa undersea cable will create an alternative data route between Europe and Asia, avoiding Russian-controlled infrastructure that has historically posed both security and reliability risks.

According to Fedorov, the initiative will strengthen Ukraine’s digital sovereignty and telecommunications resilience, attract foreign investment into the country’s tech sector, and provide faster, more secure internet across the region.

“Thanks to Kardesa, the Black Sea region will receive an additional 500 terabits per second of data capacity,” he explained. “Since undersea cables carry about 97–98% of global internet traffic, this project will be vital to the development of the region’s entire digital ecosystem.”

As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukraine’s flagship e-governance platform Diia has delivered an estimated ₴184 billion ($4.5 billion) in economic savings over the past five years.