Kerch Strait Cable

Overview

The Kerch Strait Cable is a short submarine cable system spanning 46 kilometres across the Kerch Strait, connecting Russia and Ukraine. It serves as a direct undersea link between the two countries across this narrow body of water, making it one of the shorter cables operating in this corridor.

Route and Landings

In Russia, the cable lands at Ilyich. On the Ukrainian side, it comes ashore at Kerch. These two landing points sit on opposite shores of the Kerch Strait, the narrow channel separating the Black Sea from the Sea of Azov.

Ownership and Operators

The Kerch Strait Cable is owned and operated by Miranda Media, a Russian telecommunications company.

Status and Timeline

The cable entered service in 2014 and has been operational for approximately 12 years. It represents the earliest submarine cable to land in Ukraine, marking the beginning of undersea connectivity for the country.

Technical Profile

At 46 kilometres in total length, the Kerch Strait Cable is a short-haul system suited to the narrow geographic crossing it serves. Measured performance over the last 60 days, based on 74 ping tests, shows an average round-trip latency of 34.1 milliseconds, with a best recorded figure of 25.4 milliseconds.

Regional Context

Within the group of submarine cables touching Russia and Ukraine, the Kerch Strait Cable sits at the shorter end of the length spectrum, exceeding only 8 percent of the other cables in this corridor by length. The regional picture includes considerably longer Russian domestic systems such as Polar Express at 12,650 kilometres and Far East Submarine Cable System at 1,855 kilometres, as well as the planned Kardesa cable serving Ukraine at 1,385 kilometres. Against this backdrop, the Kerch Strait Cable occupies a distinct niche as an ultra-short cross-strait link rather than a long-haul national or intercontinental system. Ukraine's submarine cable infrastructure remains limited, with three cables landing at three points in total, and this cable was the first to reach Ukrainian shores.

Strategic Role

The Kerch Strait Cable provides a direct undersea connection between the Russian and Ukrainian shores of the Kerch Strait, linking the single landing point in Russia at Ilyich with the single landing point in Ukraine at Kerch. Its short length of 46 kilometres reflects the narrow geography of the crossing it spans, and its measured latency figures confirm the low propagation delay achievable over such a distance. The cable has been in service since 2014, making it a long-standing element of the limited submarine cable infrastructure present in this part of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov region.