Infrastructure minister Omelian: Ukraine losing tens of millions of hryvnias because of Kerch bridge

The construction of the Kerch bridge by Russia destabilizes the situation in Mariupol and Berdiansk and causes tens of millions of hryvnias in loses to Ukraine.

"We are losing a lot of money because of the limited parameters of ships, which now cannot pass under the arches of the bridge. The estimates are modest so far – tens of millions of hryvnias – but I think that losses are much larger as we are losing jobs. Russia specifically fuels the difficult social situation in Mariupol and Berdiansk," Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelian said, RFE/RL reports.

According to Omelian, the Infrastructure Ministry and the Justice Ministry are preparing lawsuits against Russia over the illegal construction of the bridge to be filed to the international courts.

The construction of the bridge from Russia to Crimea across the Kerch Strait was started after Russia had annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in March 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his hope that the bridge would be ready by the summer of 2018.

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