Footage Shows Russia Building Pipelines Through Occupied Territories of Southern Ukraine

Russia is pushing forward with engineering and logistics projects in the occupied territories of Southern Ukraine. These efforts are widely seen as an attempt to solidify control and pave the way for the annexation of Melitopol and other territories.

Russia is reportedly tripling the capacity of the “land corridor” stretching from Rostov, Russia, to the occupied Crimea. Additionally, the Ukrainian Center of Journalistic Investigations has revealed that Russia is laying two pipelines simultaneously — one from Taganrog, Russia, to the occupied Mariupol, and another continuing to Berdyansk, with Melitopol as the final destination.

Discussions regarding a railway connecting Mariupol to Crimea along the Azov coast (Taganrog-Mariupol-Berdyansk-Melitopol) have been ongoing among Russian forces since September 2023.

Recently, Kherson’s appointed leader, Volodymyr Saldo, announced the imminent launch of the passenger train service between Rostov and occupied Crimea, claiming a ready timetable and warehouse operations beginning this summer.

Russian-appointed governor of Melitopol, Yevgeny Balitsky, attributed the lack of operational trains solely to security concerns.

However, DeepState analysts report a different reality, suggesting that construction on the Melitopol branch has not even commenced, stating that only the Donetsk region appears to be experiencing active railway development.

On July 17, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved €200 million to Ukraine to bolster its natural gas reserves and support energy security.