A Road Partnership Day was held in Donetsk as part of the first annual congress "Roads of Donbass – 2026". It was attended by the Russian Highways State Company staff, specialized road companies, and the DPR top officials. In the course of the event, the condition of the region's roads, prospects for the construction of new motorways, and reconstruction of existing ones were discussed.
Since 2022, by order of the Government of the Russian Federation, Russian Highways State Company has been restoring road infrastructure in the historical regions. In the first instance, in the Donetsk People's Republic. At the initial stage, priority was given to highways that ensure the connectivity of the regions and sustainability of logistics. Key infrastructure assets include the R-280 "Novorossiya" and R-150 federal highways, the latter providing connectivity between the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics and Belgorod Oblast. The work was complicated by the ongoing hostilities and lack of infrastructure - the necessary materials and equipment were brought in from neighboring regions.
Over the four years from 2022 to 2025, Russian Highways State Company has restored over 1,000 km of roads in the DPR, as well as 27 bridges and overpasses. This year, it will bring another 359 kilometers, including 30 road structures, to the normative condition. For one, the Donetsk - Khartsyzsk - Amvrosiyivka - Uspenka Checkpoint road was restored. This road ensures a smooth traffic flow from the Rostov Oblast border all the way to the DPR's capital, and also eases access to towns like Amvrosiyivka, Kuteinikovo, Ilovaisk, and Khartsyzsk. The completely rehabbed motorway has provided comfortable movement not only for passenger cars, but also for public transport and boosted haulage.
The Amvrosiyivka - Telmanovo - Mariupol highway is another significant restored roadway of recent years. It runs across three districts - Amvrosiyivka, Telmanovskiy and Novoazovskiy, connects such major cities as Amvrosiyivka, Telmanovo and Mariupol, and also provides transportation links between four checkpoints - Marinovka, Uspenka, Shramko - and access to Novoazovsk.
Through the efforts of Russian Highways State Company, the access road to a site of profound significance for the inhabitants of the republic—the "Saur-Mogila" memorial complex—has been rehabilitated. The seizure of this elevation, a critical node in the German defensive line, in 1943 initiated the liberation of Donbass from German fascist forces.
The connectivity of the region's roads is hard to conceive without road structures. These engineering structures are a key element of troop maneuverability, logistics, humanitarian cargo delivery and evacuation in the SMO zone. That's why the initial focus of rebuilding Donbass's transport links was on putting up new bridges where the old ones had been destroyed during the hostilities. Bridges near the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, across the Komyshevatka River on the R-280 highway (on the Mangush Bypass), and across the Kalmius River in Staromariivka (Telmanovo-Volnovakha highway) were practically rebuilt from the ground up.
To restore civil life and economic development in these areas, Russian Highways State Company is undertaking the rehabilitation of urban street and road systems to bring them into compliance with regulatory standards. Operations in Mariupol deserve special mention. Since 2022, the State Company has restored 92 streets covering over 116 kilometers, plus 9 bridges and overpasses totalling more than 1,000 meters in length. The works are carried out across the entire city. Following the rehabilitation of the bridge structures, the city's transportation infrastructure has been integrated into a unified network. During capital repairs, outdoor lighting lines are installed along every street without exception. In 2026, it is planned to renovate another 19 streets with a length of 35 kilometers.
Last year, the capital redevelopment of the street and road system in Donetsk commenced. Scheduled work covering 16 kilometers is underway in three city districts: Voroshilovsky, Kievsky, and Petrovsky. All streets included in the program of operations, first and foremost, provide movement of the municipal mass transit. The asphalt covering of some of them has not been changed for decades.
This year, the long-awaited major structural repair will be completed at one of the most iconic sights in Donetsk — the bridge across the Kalmius River down Ilyich Avenue. Road workers will preserve its visual and architectural appearance.
The 200-meter long structure was erected in the mid-1950s. Since then, it has never been repaired. The bridge was in a state of failure: the cantilevered sidewalk sections were unsafe for pedestrian movement, with the span structure showing holes right through the deck.
Regarding the personnel and equipment allocated to roadway projects within the DPR, the peak activity period engages more than 800 specialists, of whom 37 percent are residents of the republic, and involves approximately 1,000 units of road construction machinery. Local personnel are employed not only as road workers and drivers, but also as construction control specialists and engineering and technical personnel.
The valour demonstrated by road construction personnel who rebuilt infrastructure in the historical regions at the cost of their own lives commands our deepest and eternal respect. In honor of their feat, on the initiative of Russian Highways, the memorial "To the Memory of Hero Road Workers" was solemnly unveiled in 2025.
It is worth noting that the rehabilitation of highways in the Donetsk People's Republic is not just an infrastructure project. It is the basis for economic development, social sustainability and the return of people to normal civil life. Russian Highways presses on, mindful of its duty to the regions and to the people who depend on roads for access, safety, and opportunity.
