Where is the Kerch Strait. Location of the Kerch Strait. On fresh water reserves in the Sea of ​​Azov, which can be used in the Crimea

The idea of ​​creating a transport passage to the Crimea was revived together with the accession of the peninsula to Russia in 2014. The embodiment of this grandiose project will connect Crimean region with the mainland of the state, will open great opportunities to activate the tourism industry of Crimea, and the Russians will have the right to visit the peninsula without having to cross.

Surely, every Russian is interested in the question of how the construction of the bridge to the Crimea is going and when it will be built. Now it is in full swing, and in this article the project of the Kerch bridge and its features are carefully studied.

!
.
May 15, 2018 update. It's done! Read our article on the solemn. From May 16, everyone will be able to go to Crimea by car across the bridge!
.
!

History of the Kerch bridge. In fact, the idea of ​​the bridge arose long ago, back in the days Russian Empire under Tsar Nicholas II. The initial sketch of the project was created back in 1910, but the bridge was not built due to the outbreak of the First World War.

Then they returned to the bridge project in the 30s, during the time of Stalin (who built it in Malaya Sosnovka). Then the idea was to build railway through Kerch Strait, but the beginning of World War II prevented the implementation of the bridge.
In 1944, in the shortest possible time, in seven months, a railroad bridge, which, however, was dismantled in 1945 from damage to part of the supports by ice with Sea of ​​Azov.

Another sketch of the project, taking into account all the errors, was created in 1949, but it was also not implemented.

Russia and Ukraine actively discussed the creation of a transport passage through the Kerch Strait in 2010-2013, and a bilateral agreement was signed. But the construction of the Kerch Bridge began after the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation.

This project is technically very complex. From several options, a sketch of a bridge across the Kerch Strait with a total length of 19 kilometers across the Tuzla Spit was chosen. The bridge will have 4 lanes highway with a speed of 120 km/h and 2 tracks for railway transport.

The length of the Kerch bridge to the Crimea

The capacity of the bridge is up to forty thousand vehicles per day. It is stated that the passage on the highway will be free. Although there is a lot of controversy in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet as to whether the passage on the bridge will be free for motorists. Every now and then there are opinions and rumors that some kind of fee will still be charged for the fare.

The exact answer will be known when traffic begins on the Kerch bridge, but, judging by indirect evidence, it will still be free. For example, this is evidenced by the fact that funds from foreign investors were not involved in the construction. The entire project is funded by the state. Perhaps this was done on purpose to save free travel for cars.

Stroygazmontazh, a well-known Russian businessman Arkady Rotenberg.

At least 70 proposals were considered before choosing this company. It was necessary to find a contractor that met all the requirements for construction time, cost and contract performance guarantees.

This firm has good experience for such a project. Stroygazmontazh is the main contractor of Gazprom for the construction of gas pipelines.

Stroygazmontazh LLC also has the right to engage subcontractors: it is known that certain negotiations were held with companies from South Korea to attract professionals to work.

Construction cost

How much does a bridge to Crimea cost? Kerch bridge will be one of the most expensive bridges in the world due to the complexity of the construction of the structure. The initial cost was 50 billion rubles, but then it increased due to the combination of automobile and railway lines. The weakening of the Russian currency against the US dollar also contributed to the increase in value.

In the winter of 2015, based on the results of the auction, the maximum cost of work was set - it amounted to 228.3 billion rubles.

The construction of a transport crossing across the strait is financed by the state with funds from the National Welfare Fund.

Length and width of the Kerch bridge

The bridge structure is being built along the Tuzla spit. This will allow using a small piece of land in the strait to strengthen the entire structure. To meet the time frame, construction is underway in several places at once.

The length of the bridge to Crimea is 19 km. Among them:

• 7 km: section of the sea from the Tuzla spit to the island of the same name;
• 6.5 km: land on the island;
• 6.1 km: section of the sea from the island to Kerch.

The width of the bridge will consist of four traffic lanes of 3.75 m each, a shoulder width of 3.75 m and a 0.75 m reinforced shoulder.

The depth of the Kerch Strait at the bridge construction site

The width of the Kerch Strait is from 4.5 to 15 km. Max Depth- 18 meters.

The support piles will be anchored to stable bedrock to reinforce the entire structure. The piles will be driven into the ground to a depth of 90 m.

For this will be used:

• reinforced concrete supports for immersion up to 16 m in the Kerch area;
• piles from pipes with a reinforced concrete core for immersion up to 94 m in the main section;
• supports made of reinforced concrete for immersion up to 45 meters in the area of ​​the Taman Peninsula.

Delivery and completion of the construction of the Kerch bridge

Undoubtedly, everyone is looking forward to building a bridge across the Kerch Strait. This large-scale project is planned to be implemented as soon as possible (in four years). According to the plan, in December 2018 it can be launched labor movement. The deadline for the completion of the Kerch bridge is June 2019.

Bridge across the Kerch Strait on the map

Get to the Crimean peninsula from the territory of Russia through new bridge it will be possible in the Krasnodar Territory, on the Taman Peninsula.

The Kerch Strait and the bridge to the Crimea on the map:

In addition to the bridge itself, approaches to it will also be built: roads and railways, so that residents and guests of Russia can freely move from Crimea to mainland states and vice versa. These approaches will be part of the A-290 Novorossiysk-Kerch route, which passes through the city of Anapa.

From the outside, the length of the approach will be 22 km, from the side of the Taman Peninsula - 40 km.

The construction and commissioning of the Kerch bridge will open up great prospects for domestic tourism in Russia. To visit Kerch, Simferopol, get a good tan on the Black Sea coast, swim and just travel around wild places Crimea, you will not need to prepare a passport. It will be enough to buy a train ticket or get into your car - and you can go on a trip!

Video about the construction of the Kerch bridge:

Tuzla - sand island with an area of ​​3.5 km² (the length of the island varies from 6.5 to 5 km, the width is about 500 meters) in the Kerch Strait of the Sea of ​​Azov between Kerch Peninsula Crimea in the west and the Taman Peninsula Krasnodar Territory in the east. He gained fame in 2003 after the start of a territorial dispute over the ownership of the island between Ukraine and Russia.

The Kerch Strait is a strait belonging to the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov and connecting it with the Black Sea. The western shore of the strait is the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea, the eastern - Taman Peninsula. The width of the strait is from 4.5 to 15 km. The greatest depth is 18 meters. The most important port is the city of Kerch.

At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 20th centuries, the strait was also called Tauride, Yenikalsky, Kerch-Yenikalsky. The ancient Greeks called it the Cimmerian Bosporus by name ancient people Cimmerians.

The Kerch Strait is a fishing area for many species of fish. The main fishing season starts in late autumn and lasts for several months.

Settlement history

It was formed from the Tuzla Spit, a continuation of the Taman Peninsula, eroded in 1925.

On January 7, 1941, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, the island was included in the Crimean ASSR, which, already under the name of the Crimean Region, was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR on February 19, 1954. After that, on maps published in Soviet times, the island was designated as the territory of the Ukrainian SSR.

In 1996 MP Legislative Assembly Krasnodar Territory, Alexander Travnikov first raised the question of territorial affiliation Tuzla Spit at the WGW session. The justification for the legitimacy of Russia's territorial claim to this territory was formulated in the books of A. Travnikov "The Spit of Tuzla the Listed Territory" and "The Spit of Tuzla and the Strategic Interests of Russia". In 2003, the Kerch Strait was at the center of a dispute between Russia and Ukraine after the authorities of the Krasnodar Territory, trying to prevent erosion of the sea coast caused by a decrease in runoff from the Azov Sea and an increase (in summer) from the Black Sea after the construction of the Tsimlyansk reservoir, hastily began to build dam from extreme point Taman Peninsula towards the Ukrainian islands, which were previously part of the Tuzla Spit. Russia was accused of encroaching on Ukrainian territory. The conflict was resolved after the intervention of the presidents - the construction of the dam was stopped, and Tuzla remained Ukrainian.

According to Alexey Milovanov, deputy mayor of Kerch, if the settlement is created, the island will become the only settlement within the city: “There will be a violation of the administrative-territorial structure of the city, which the Council of Ministers does not have the right to do.” The mayor commented on the decision of the Crimean Council as follows: “When deciding to create a settlement on the island, the Council of Ministers somewhat exceeded its powers, since, according to current legislation, there must be a decision of the Kerch City Council, a conclusion of the Supreme Council of Crimea and a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada on this matter. Ukraine. In the meantime, in our opinion, there are more ambitions of some politicians of the Crimean level who want to shine on an all-Ukrainian scale and look like the biggest patriots of Ukraine.”

On December 24, 2003, an agreement on cooperation in the use of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait was signed in Kerch, and then ratified by Russia and Ukraine, establishing that their waters are historically inland waters RF and Ukraine. In Art. 1 of the agreement states that the settlement of issues related to the water area of ​​the Kerch Strait is carried out by agreement between the Parties.

On July 12, 2012, a joint statement by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine was published, which states that: “The parties proceed from the expediency, after reaching agreement on all the mentioned spaces, to conclude a Russian-Ukrainian agreement covering the Sea of ​​Azov, the Kerch Strait, adjacent territorial seas, continental shelf and exclusive economic zones of the two countries in the Black Sea. The relevant departments of the two countries were instructed to prepare such an agreement for signing. The parties confirm the need to ensure cooperation in the Azov-Kerch water area, including the sustainable operation and development of the Kerch-Yenikal Canal, by creating a joint Russian-Ukrainian corporation to manage this most reliable navigable artery in the Kerch Strait. Russia and Ukraine will intensify bilateral cooperation in the field of shipping, fisheries, marine environment protection and environmental safety, as well as in other areas, in order to complete work on the relevant agreements.”

Demography

Since there is no permanent population on the island, after the 2003 conflict, the Supreme Council Autonomous Republic Crimea decided to create a new locality, however, on September 6, 2006, the Kerch City Council, of which the island is a part, decided not to create a new settlement on the island.

In March 2014, 60 years after secession, Crimea became ours again. One can argue endlessly about the expediency of the actions that returned the peninsula to Russia, but the advantages are obvious - now there are more than one coast in the country. Crimea has been and remains a favorite vacation spot for many compatriots. Reasons to spend holidays there have increased, especially if you take into account the foreign exchange rate, which significantly reduced the choice tourist destinations. I used to travel a lot to other countries several times a year, but now I can afford to get out of Russia not so often. Therefore, I began to discover the beauty of my own homeland, which I am really glad about.

We have a lot of good places. Take at least the same Crimea. The charm of Yalta cannot be described in words. I walked along its embankment for hours. A ? Before the collapse of the USSR, this place was not even on the map because of a secret plant for the repair of nuclear submarines. Now there is a museum that I recommend to visit for everyone: both men and women. It feels the power of the state. So, we are going to the Crimea through the Kerch Strait! You can get to the Kerch Strait different types transport: by car, train or bus, and then by ferry. But first things first.

A bit of history

A ferry across the Kerch Strait today is the only way to get to the peninsula other than by air, while a bridge is being built that will connect the Crimea and Kuban. He, by the way, already was, although few people know about it.

The idea of ​​the need for a bridge first came up not with the country's GDP, but with Hitler in 1943. The Fuhrer even began construction, but he failed to complete the work - in May 1944, Russian troops liberated the Crimea from the German invaders. The Soviet authorities decided to continue the construction of the bridge, and after seven months the structure with a length of 3116.5 m was handed over.

But she did not serve long - in the winter of 1945, the bridge could not withstand the ice drift from the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and collapsed. The question of its restoration was not raised: the country lay in ruins, and more than priority tasks. In September 1954, the Kerch ferry crossing. Before the conflict with Ukraine, she coped with the traffic flow, as there were alternative options get to the peninsula. Now they are difficult for the Russians.

The situation with the bridge across the Kerch Strait today

In the summer of 2014, there was a collapse at the Kerch Strait crossing; people stood in queues for the ferry for several days. Then the government started talking about building a bridge. After considering many projects, the start was finally given. The structure will pass between the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west and the Taman Peninsula of the Krasnodar Territory in the east through Tuzla Island and the Tuzla Spit in the Kerch Strait of the Sea of ​​Azov.

The bridge across the Kerch Strait will be equipped with road and rail passages, which, of course, will simplify the operation of the facility, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019. Rosavtodor is responsible for implementation. I was in Kerch in June 2016 and photographed the future bridge from afar.

How to get to the Kerch Strait

I love to travel by car because it makes me independent of the schedule public transport and gives freedom of movement. If you are traveling to Crimea by car, bus or train, then before you get to the peninsula, you will find a ferry across the Kerch Strait. This is the water area of ​​the Sea of ​​Azov, connecting it with the Black Sea. The width of the Kerch Strait fluctuates in different places from 4.5 to 15 km.

From the European part of Russia to, and then to the Kerch Strait leads federal highway M-4 "Don". It passes through, Rostov-on-Don, Timashevsk and a number of others major cities. This is one of the best roads in our country, although paid sections. Traffic jams often occur near the village of Losevo Voronezh region. No matter how many times I used this route, I ALWAYS got into a traffic jam here. The reason is constant road works.

In the Krasnodar Territory, move towards Temryuk. First you need to get to Timashevsk. Motorists used to go around the city through the railway station, which is currently being renovated. Therefore, now everyone is going to the crossing through the city itself. In my opinion, this is more convenient, since at the crossing you usually had to wait a long time (even for an hour) due to the large flow of trains in southbound.

Crossing the Kerch Strait: own experience

The first time I got to the Kerch crossing was in June 2014. Until that summer, I had never rested in the Crimea and considered the annexation of the peninsula to Russia as a serious reason to visit the homeland of the artist Ivan Aivazovsky, singer Alena Sviridova, TV presenter Larisa Verbitskaya and others famous people.

On a trip to the South Coast ( south coast Crimea) we went by car, planning to visit Yalta, Alushta, and Alupka. But first, a ferry across the Kerch Strait was waiting for us. Only the lazy did not speak about ordeals in it and did not write that year. Internet publications were full of headlines like “Tourists are waiting for the ferry for several days”, “Kerch crossing does not work due to a storm”, etc. Bloggers are also actively involved in the controversy, mentioning what the world is worth, the government, roads, laws, and even football.

We did not buy tickets in advance, purchasing them on the spot. Before entering the territory of the accumulation site, the terminal employee issued us a receipt for the purchase seats ferry and car transport. We bought tickets at the box office and stood for six hours at the collection site. We got acquainted with the neighbors in turn: everyone was tuned in to a positive wave and was looking forward to a vacation.

My next trip to Crimea took place in October 2015. In autumn, there were few people who wanted to get to the peninsula, so there were no problems with the ferry. Finally, June 2016, and again the Kerch Strait. This time my trip was limited only to Kerch. I arrived in the city by car, returned home by bus. The wait at the crossing was short. Perhaps this is due to the time of my stay in the port "Kavkaz": we arrived there at one in the morning, and I left back for eight in the morning. Of course, crossing the Kerch Strait by ferry is associated with some discomfort,

but in general, if you love Crimea and want to relax there, you should not be afraid of it. Metaphysics works here - tune in to positive thinking, and you will have a free crossing without queues!

Across the Kerch Strait by ferry

Buy ferry tickets in advance on the official ferry portal. Currently, six auto-passenger ferries run between the ports of Kavkaz and Krym:

1. "Victory" (former Greek ferry "Protoporos VI", renamed "Victory"), accommodates 500 people and 150 cars,
2. "Crimea" (former Norwegian ferry "Ostfold"), can take on board 685 passengers and 160 cars,
3. "Olympias" (also a former Greek ferry) with a capacity of almost 1000 people and 200 cars,
4. "Major Chapichev" (was built in Greece and bore the name of "Glykophilous II"), can accommodate 350 passengers and 100 cars,
5. "Protoporos IV" for one flight can carry 650 people and 120 cars,
6. Glycofilous III, capacity 500 passengers and 160 cars.

In total, they make 30 flights per day. Ferries operate even at night, which many do not know about.

On the Kuban side, the storage area of ​​the port is located on the section of the M-25 highway between the villages of Batareika and Ilyich in the Temryuk region. On its territory there is a waiting room, toilets, showers, cafes. By the way, the prices in the latter are quite reasonable (coffee from 25 rubles, a sandwich from 70 rubles). I remember my first trip to the Crimea in the summer of 2014, when the infrastructure of the storage area (sump among the people) left much to be desired. Dry closets were then, but to approach them even at arm's length turned out to be akin to a feat. Now everything is different. It seems we are moving towards civilization!

The storage area is a parking lot divided into 12 rows. Which of them to occupy is indicated by the employees of the structure. In the presence of electronic tickets They also issue boarding passes for the ferry. You just have to go through a personal inspection and wait in line for loading.

The ships are equipped with soft seats, TVs, toilets, and there are cafes on board. In general, traveling on them is quite comfortable and pleasant, especially in sunny weather. Admiring the expanses of water from the deck is a real pleasure. You can even see dolphins, and I met them on my first visit to the Crimea. One of the kids shouted: "Dolphins!" - and all the passengers immediately rushed to the deck to look at these graceful animals. They were not afraid of people and swam to the ferry for enough close range.

And this is how cars are parked on the ship.

Port "Crimea" is located on the outskirts of Kerch near the village of Zhukovka. The procedure is the same as for opposite side. By the way, if you did not have time to buy souvenirs from the Crimea, look here. On the territory of the ferry terminal there are shops where you can buy magnets, herbal teas and handmade soap. The prices are adequate (soap from 50 rubles, tea from 180 rubles, magnets from 40 rubles).

When buying electronic tickets on the portal, calculate your time of stay in the ports "Caucasus" or "Crimea". Six intervals are set: 3:00-9:00; 7:00-13:00; 11:00-17:00; 15:00-21:00; 19:00-1:00; 23:00-5:00 hours. It is advisable to be at the storage site no later than last hour until the end of time. For example: you bought a ticket for a ferry with an interval of 7:00-13:00. You need to be at the collection site before 12:00. If you purchase tickets directly on the spot, you will receive a coupon from the settler employee for their payment and be prepared to present a registration certificate at the ticket office of the ferry terminal vehicle, driver's license and passports of passengers traveling with you.

Through the Kerch Strait by bus

In June 2016, I was returning from Crimea by bus. My path lay in the city of Timashevsk, Krasnodar Territory. At the box office of the Kerch bus station, I bought the so-called single ticket. The bus followed the route "Yalta - Moscow" and pleased with the presence of air conditioning.

In the port of "Crimea" the bus driver asked the passengers to leave their seats and take their luggage. After collecting our passports, he went to the ticket office of the ferry terminal. Upon his return, the man returned the documents to everyone, investing in each ticket for the ship.

Next, we were waiting for a thorough check of things. I saw that some passengers were even asked to open their suitcase if the monitor screen after x-ray scanner a security officer noticed a strange object. They are invited to the screening room one at a time on a first come, first served basis. In general, the process is not long. Then we boarded the bus again (the parking lot is to the left of the screening room) and went to the crossing.

This time I crossed the strait on the ship "Mayor Chapichev". We left the bus on the ferry. Some passengers were accommodated in the cabin of the Major Chapichev, others preferred to be on deck, including myself. Five minutes before the ferry arrived at the Kavkaz port, we took our seats on the bus. I note that the suitcases remain on the bus for the period of the crossing, so you won’t have to mess with things. On this, the sea part of the route was completed. Ahead were waiting for the ideal Kuban roads and picturesque landscapes outside the window.

Through the Kerch Strait by train

If you do not have an iron horse or you prefer to relax on vacation and away from driving a car, you can get to your beloved Crimea by train. In this case, there is a single ticket combining rail, bus and maritime traffic. You can buy it at any railway ticket office or on the RZD website. It consists of two boarding passes– by train and bus/ferry.

Kerch Strait connecting the Azov and Black Sea, has a long history.

Its western shore is Crimean peninsula, and the eastern one - Tamansky.

On the Crimean coast of the canal is the port city of Kerch. On its Taman coast of the canal are the ports "Kavkaz" and "Taman".

What is characteristic of the Kerch Strait

The length of the strait is about 40 km, the average width is one and a half dozen kilometers. This is a shallow waterway, the depth of which in the middle is about 5-7 meters. The entrances to the strait are somewhat deeper. The minimum width of the strait is 4.5 km. Located between two ports: Crimea and Caucasus; maximum - 15 km.

From the side of the Black Sea, the depths are within 17 meters, from the side of the Azov - no more than ten. The shores are indented by capes and are distinguished by sandy-shell spits. come across volcanic origin hills that can grade into steep coastal mountains.

At the beginning of the last century from east coast The wide sandbank of the spit, called Tuzla, protruded from the strait. After a severe storm in 1925, as a result of a shallow gully, an island was formed, which retained the name ikosa. After severe storms, the island can change its shape.

A feature of the strait is the rapid development of waves, which is minimal in late spring and early summer and reaches a maximum in autumn - winter period. Waves are mostly 1-2 m, occasionally 3 m high. In the morning they are less than in the afternoon. This is especially noticeable in the summer.

Here sometimes there are steep and short waves that are dangerous for ships. After the wind stops, the swell remains in the form of smoothly moving, gently sloping waves. Fluctuations in the water level in different parts of the strait are possible, associated with the transfer of water masses by the wind along the strait or changes in atmospheric pressure.

The level can differ by 25-40 cm. These fluctuations can also be caused by precipitation, river runoff, water evaporation, and water exchange with the Black Sea. In the warm season, the water level is higher than in the cold. Due to its shallow water, the water in the strait quickly heats up and cools down.

When a strong south wind appears, the current can reverse. In this case, its average speed can approach 5.5 km / h against 0.6 - 0.9 km / h under normal conditions. The wind here is the main meteorological factor. In winter, as a rule, starting from January, ice from the Sea of ​​Azov enters the Black Sea.

In order to make it convenient to use this waterway for servicing ports in the Sea of ​​Azov and in Rostov-on-Don, a canal was dug in the 19th century, which made it possible to create a deep-water fairway for cargo ships.

Historical events

The study of the strait was carried out by the ancient Greeks, who marked it on the first map of the present Sea of ​​Azov. In the Middle Ages, the Genoese and Venetians pointed it out to nautical charts. It is known that in 1068 the Russian prince Gleb Svyatoslavovich organized a measurement of the width of the strait. There are many myths and legends associated with the strait, on the ice of which nomads crossed to the Crimea.

Kerch Strait. shipping photo

On the site of modern Kerch, the ancient Greeks founded the city of Panticapaeum - the capital of the Bosporus kingdom. On the ice of the strait, their equestrian battles with the barbarians took place, and in the summer - sea battles. In those days it was believed that the strait separates Europe from Asia. There is evidence that in the 30s of the twentieth century, it was planned to build a bridge across the strait, some of the structures of which were ordered in Germany.

Kerch Strait. waves photo

During the German troops tried to organize its construction from the territory of the occupied Crimea. After the liberation of the peninsula from the Germans, construction was continued. However, at the beginning of 1945, a third of its supports were destroyed by ice drift from the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. Instead of the bridge in 1953, a ferry crossing of trains and cars was organized. In 2015, the Russian Federation began the construction of a bridge connecting the Taman Peninsula.

Fauna and flora

The channel has rich animal world. Many species of fish are caught in it, including goby, flounder, bream, sturgeon, pelengas, herring, pike perch, sprat. Fish are caught here from the end of autumn to almost the beginning of summer. Red mullet, black sea trotter, striped mullet, ostronos, mackerel, horse mackerel and other species of fish migrate through it from the Black Sea to the Sea of ​​Azov.

Dolphins in the Kerch Strait photo

Here you can also meet the mammalian Azov dolphin, sometimes called the harbor porpoise. It can reach one and a half meters in length and live a quarter of a century or more. The flora of the strait is characterized by the presence of green algae and other types of plankton. This explains the low transparency of water in it.

Shrubs, grasses, reeds and low trees grow along the banks of the strait. Such sparse vegetation is due to low precipitation.

• IN ancient times the strait, which the ancient Greeks then called the Cimmerian Bosporus, was considered the border of Europe and Asia;
• When the Tsimlyansk reservoir was built on the Don, there was a change in the current in the strait, which was directed from the Azov to the Black Sea in winter, and vice versa in summer. The salinity in the strait is 12-15%, while in the Sea of ​​Azov 10-12, and in the Black 18 %;
• In November 2007, near the port of Kavkaz, as a result of a powerful storm, four dry cargo ships were lost, six vessels were torn from anchors, the water in the strait was heavily polluted from two damaged tankers;
• There is a theory that approximately in 5600 BC. due to the rise of water in the Black Sea, water entered the Don delta and formed a reservoir, which today is called the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, and the strait along which it went - the Kerch Strait.

The Kerch Strait (Ukrainian: Kerch Channel, Crimea. Kerizboğazı, Adyghe Khy Tiuale, called the Cimmerian Bosporus by the ancient Greeks after the name of the ancient people, the Cimmerians) is a strait connecting the Black and Azov Seas. The western shore of the strait is the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea, the eastern shore is the Taman Peninsula. The width of the strait is from 4.5 to 15 km. The greatest depth is 18 meters. The most important port is the city of Kerch.

The Kerch Strait is a fishing area for many species of fish. Putin begins at the end of autumn and lasts for several months.

Myth, archaic:

Euripides describes how from the side of Taurida (Crimea) the strait is crossed by Io - the beloved of Zeus, turned by Hera into a cow and driven by a gadfly. Aeschylus calls the ford across the strait - "Cow Ford". In his Biographies, Plutarch, referring to Hellanicus, reports that the Amazons crossed the Cimmerian Bosporus on ice.

Antiquity

The fact that nomads crossed the strait on ice in winter is known from the History of Herodotus. In the 5th century BC e. Representatives of the ancient Milesian aristocratic family of the Archeanaktids founded the city of Panticapaeum, the capital of the Bosporan kingdom, on the site of present-day Kerch, on the western coast of the strait.

Herodotus twice mentioned the Cimmerian crossings.

In the II century BC. e. on the ice of the strait from the side of Lake Meotida (Sea of ​​Azov), a battle took place between the army of the commander Neoptolem and the barbarians: in a horse battle on the ice, he also defeated the same barbarians in a sea battle in the summer, when the ice melted ”(Strabo, II, 1, 6)“ They say that the commander of Mithridates Neoptolemus defeated the barbarians in a sea battle in the same strait in the summer, and in winter on horseback. (VII, 3, 18)

In April 1944, construction began on a railway bridge across the strait. 115 spans of the same type, 27.1 m each, pivoting on the middle support large ships, flyovers near the coast and the dam made up the full length of the bridge crossing. Construction was completed in the autumn of the same year. Since the bridge did not have ice cutters, in February 1945, about 30% of the supports were damaged by ice from the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. The bridge was not restored, and the surviving parts were liquidated, as they were an obstacle to navigation.

To replace the destroyed bridge in 1953, the Kerch ferry crossing was opened, connecting the Crimea and Krasnodar region(line Port Krym - Port Kavkaz). Four railway ferries participated in the work of the crossing: Zapolyarny, Severny, Yuzhny and Vostochny. Initially, these ferries were planned to be used at the railway crossing under construction across the Yenisei in Igarka, but in 1953 this construction was closed and the ferries were transported to the Crimea. Later, three car ferries were put into operation: Kerch-1, Kerch-2 and Yeysk.

In the late 1980s, due to the aging of railway ferries, the transportation of passenger and then freight trains across the strait was discontinued. Due to funding problems, new ferries were not built for the crossing, and for almost 15 years the crossing served only for transporting cars. Projects for the construction of a new bridge across the Kerch Strait were repeatedly proposed, but due to the high cost they were not further developed.

In 2004, the Annenkov railway ferry was handed over to the ferry, and in November 2004, on the eve of the second round of the presidential elections in Ukraine, the ferry crossing was inaugurated. The action was attended by Viktor Yanukovych (at that time the Prime Minister and presidential candidate of Ukraine) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the solemn opening ceremony, the railway communication across the strait was restored and exists to this day, but only for the transport of goods.

In the autumn of 2007, during a severe storm in the Kerch Strait, several ships sank, many tons of fuel oil spilled into the sea, thereby causing great damage to the waters of the Kerch Strait.

Currently, the development of a bridge across the Kerch Strait is not underway.

Territorial dispute

In 1996, Alexander Travnikov, a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar Territory, first raised the issue of the territorial belonging of the Tuzla Spit at the session of the Legislative Assembly. The justification for the legitimacy of Russia's territorial claim to this territory was formulated in the books of A. Travnikov "The Spit of Tuzla the Listed Territory" and "The Spit of Tuzla and the Strategic Interests of Russia". In 2003, the Kerch Strait was at the center of a dispute between Russia and Ukraine after the authorities of the Krasnodar Territory, trying to prevent erosion of the sea coast, began to hastily build a dam from Taman towards the Ukrainian island of Tuzla. Russia was accused of encroaching on Ukrainian territory. The conflict was resolved after the intervention of the presidents - the construction of the dam was stopped, and Tuzla remained Ukrainian. As a reciprocal concession, Ukraine agreed to sign an agreement under which the Kerch Strait was recognized as joint inland waters of Russia and Ukraine.

Negotiations of expert groups on the delimitation of the Azov-Kerch water area and the Black Sea are still ongoing, however.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry considers Russia's position on the delimitation of the Kerch Strait to be illegal. Russia refuses to divide the Kerch Strait along the former intra-Soviet administrative border, because in this case it loses control over two-thirds of the Kerch Strait, which entails financial and political costs.

Ukraine accuses Russia of double standards, recalling that it was the former intra-Soviet administrative border that was recognized as the interstate Russian-Estonian border in the Narva and Gulf of Finland at Russia's insistence. Ukraine insistently demands that the Kerch Strait be divided in a similar way "in accordance with international law."

Bosphorus

Bosphorus (Greek, “Cow Ford”), the Thracian Bosphorus is a strait between Europe and Asia Minor, connecting the Black Sea with the Marmara, and paired with the Dardanelles with the Mediterranean. The Bosphorus is part of the intra-Eurasian border. On both sides of the strait is the historic city of Constantinople, now Istanbul. The length of the strait is about 30 km, the maximum width is 3,700 m in the north. The fairway depth is from 36 to 124 m.

The Bosphorus is almost the narrowest strait, its smallest width is only 700 meters, which is 600 meters less than the width of the Dardanelles. The Bosphorus itself is not only a very important strait for many states, but also a very beautiful place. People passing through this strait incessantly admire its beauty. Ships enter it as if through a tight gate. The steep banks of the Bosphorus look like fortress walls. But in some places they go down, and in these places the villages descend directly to the water. The Bosphorus is a magnificent, incomparable sight. This sea ​​strait, bordered by picturesque green banks, resembles a majestic river, now narrowing, now wide overflowing. Only the specific "salty smell" of sea spray from the oncoming waves and the unusual blueness and transparency of the water, as happens on sunny days on the Black Sea, remind that this is a sea strait.

In ancient times, the Bosphorus was called the eighth wonder of the world. Even the Argonauts, sailing through this strait on their ship, heading for the Golden Fleece, admired its beauty.

According to legend, the strait got its name thanks to the daughter of the ancient Argive king Io - the beautiful beloved of Zeus named Io was turned by him into a white cow to avoid the wrath of his wife Hera. The unfortunate Io chose the waterway to salvation, diving into the blue of the strait, which since then has been called the "cow's ford" or the Bosphorus.

The shores of the strait are connected by two bridges: the Bosphorus Bridge, 1074 meters long (completed in 1973) and the Sultan Mehmed Fatih Bridge, 1090 meters long (built in 1988) 5 km north of the first bridge. The construction of a third road bridge is planned, but the construction site is kept secret by the Turkish government to avoid rising land prices. Currently, the construction of the Marmaray railway tunnel (completion date - 2012) is underway, which will unite Istanbul's high-speed transport systems located in the European and Asian parts of the city.

It is assumed (the theory of the Black Sea flood) that the Bosphorus was formed only 7500-5000 years ago. Previously, the level of the Black and Mediterranean seas was significantly lower and they were not connected. At the end of the last ice age, as a result of the melting of large masses of ice and snow, the water level in both reservoirs rose sharply. A powerful flow of water in just a few days made its way from one sea to another, this is evidenced by the bottom topography and other signs.

The ancient Greeks also called the Kerch Strait the Bosphorus - Cimmerian Bosporus.

The Bosphorus is one of the most important straits, as it provides access to mediterranean sea and world oceans of a large part of Russia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia and southeastern Europe. In addition to agricultural and industrial products, oil from Russia and the Caspian region plays an important role in exports through the Bosphorus.

The Upper Bosporus, open to northeast winds, is somewhat deserted: there is less vegetation here, and villages scattered along the coastal slopes are rare. But, starting from the ancient fortresses of Rumeli-Hisary and Anadolu-Hisary, standing on opposite banks above the narrowest part of the strait, houses, palaces, country villas appear more and more often against the background of dark greenery.

The landscapes of the Bosphorus are unusually picturesque. Their charm is in their endless variability, in the elegance of the outlines of the coastal slopes, where slender cypresses and giant plane trees (or, as they are called in the East, plane trees) rise, where crimson and wisteria bloom with pink and purple garlands in spring, and in autumn the heather spreads its silvery blue cloak.

But the Bosphorus is different. In the short winter, due to fogs, rains, and occasionally even snow, it looks quite severe. northern winds break into the mouth. Cold, damp air rushes through the strait, making those who are nearby shiver. The speed of the current in the Bosphorus is increasing. Closer to spring, when snow begins to melt in the Danube basin, the current reaches its maximum speed. In the narrow places of the strait, water seethes, as in a boiling cauldron. Like an arrow, a blue stream of water sweeps along the banks. The Turks call this impetuous stream "sheitan akantysy" - "damn current". In addition to this, the upper current, in the Bosphorus there is also a lower one, going in the opposite direction - from Sea of ​​Marmara to Black. More salty water of the Sea of ​​Marmara enters the Black Sea through it.

The farther south, the more villages, parks, gardens, villas, mosques, and Sultan's palaces appear on the banks of the strait. Small buildings run down to the water itself, next to which earthen niches have been dug for storing fishing boats. In the most picturesque places, elegant houses rise on several floors, surrounded by a southern terrace, a gallery.

There are many ancient fortresses on the banks of the Bosphorus. Their gloomy thick towers and predatory battlements of the walls vividly remind of the troubled history of the Bosporus, of countless bloody battles.

The shores of the strait, as you move along it, then move apart, then approach each other. It begins to seem that this is some kind of chain of lakes connected by channels. At the same time, the shores either fall or rise, and then the ship seems to fall into a gorge, squeezed by the steep slopes of the mountains.

The Bosphorus is not a long strait, but still not a single ship can pass through it without meeting a fishing boat, a small steamer or a large ship of some state. The Bosphorus is a busy sea road, an exit from the Black Sea to the expanses of the world's oceans.