July 29: day 3, Renewable Roads
I start the day with some excitement and uncertainty. Today I will get to Russia. But which road to take is still undecided. Given the fact that the shortest route is thru the northern (Ukrainian controlled) part of the Lugansk Province, I have a preference for this route. Apart from being the shortest route I would be very interested to see the region. My suspicion is that it is mostly populated by normal people that would like to live a normal life. What could happen in the few hours I need to pass. But I do not feel 100% convinced and in addition the quality of roads is a big unknown. I will try to find advice from people I meet before I make a decision.
Overnight the car has charged a bit at 220V 16A. With 141 km typical range I have just enough to reach Kharkiv. I will have to take it slow. Although I planned to leave fully charged. The impact on my original planning is not so large as I will be able to Chademo charge in Kharkiv. So I will just spend one additional hour there. It is a beautiful day and I enjoy the OK road to Kharkiv.
In Kharkiv I arrive at Auto Enterprise’s new location at a mall next to the northern ring-road. Among others there are two Tesla’s parked in front of the building and I immediately spot the Chademo charger. Inside I am welcomed by some friendly young people who first have to consult with ‘the boss’ before allowing me to charge. But luckily I have contacted the boss himself ahead of time and got an OK to charge. This is confirmed by phone. However there is a charge of some € 6 per hour. So I agree to pay for two hours and we get the charger going. But much to my surprise the charger is only charging at half the speed (just over 100km typical range per hour). Apparently the software in the car is fooled as well. It indicates the actual charging speed, but the remaining charging time corresponds with regularly expected 200km range/h charging speed. The guy at Oxygen over in Kiev had mentioned something about Auto Enterprise using some cheap unreliable chargers from China…
Anyway, this is the first setback of the today. I will have to wait for 4 hours to completely fill up. While waiting I call the police department of the Lugansk Province to get information about the safety situation of the road to Mirove. It is confirmed that the road is open and its should be safe. ‘Just go’ is the answer. Next the young lady comes to tell me that she misunderstood her boss. Charging will be € 6 per half hour. Making a total of € 24 for a full charge ! The equivalent of FastNed rates charging in Ukriane ;-). Not that I mind the money, but it adds to the weird feeling I get with this location/company.
I realize that charging at the OKKO station east of Kharkiv will be almost as quick, for free and 30 km further on my route and would give another location to hang out the next two hours wait. So I decide to leave after the first session of two hours to continue charging at the OKKO station where I find a well-functioning KEBA. The station has a nice pizza restaurant and good wifi. So I also charge myself and do some report writing.
In between the two Kharkiv charging locations I passed by a memorial for the ‘Golodomor’, the Stalin imposed famine which affected the whole of Ukraine and had a particular high death toll in the Kharkiv Province. Native Ukrainians are believed to (intentionally) have suffered most. Just one reminder of the complicated and scarred history of this country and the eastern provinces in particular. It is sad that this area is suffering once again.
At the Okko station I meet some Ukrainians from Kharkiv who, once again, urge me not to take the Lugansk Province route. ‘Chaos!’. ‘They are shooting over there’. Although I am still not convinced it is unsafe (nobody actually goes there, so it is all hearsay), I do to start to doubt. Particularly the possible bad conditions of the roads. I discuss other options with them. The obvious is via Belgorod, but that would be the longest detour. The planner shows other border crossings from the Kharkiv province into Russia. They confirm that there are some.
So I decide to not go into Lugansk region but cross into Russia from Kharkiv instead. I choose the Verigovka crossing giving me the shortest route to Valoejki a town where I should be able to charge the car and/or spend the night. The GPS shows several alternative to go there. Advised by the local people I choose to return to the Kharkiv ring road and then turn east from there. Those roads should be OK.
It is already 15:50 when I leave with an almost full battery. Most of the day is gone and I am still only in Kharkiv! The road east of Kharkiv is OK to drive on. Soon I cross the Northern Donets river at Staryi Saltiv. A beautiful view and a nice place to camp out and swim in the river (if I had the time). From here the main road is going all the way around via Voltsjansk. There is however a shorter route which is suggested by Google Maps on my phone (but not by Tesla navigation). It will cut another 15km, straight to Prykolotne. So I decide to give it a try.
Well the first 1,5 km on this smaller road are perfect. But I guess this is as far as any inspector or local governor gets to conclude that he roads are OK. Beyond, the quality gets from bad to worse to horrible. But by the time you realize that this road well not get better any time soon, you are so far in that turning back is not an option anymore. And there is always a chance the road will get better after the next turn (the opposite is also true). I carefully navigate my car around all the potholes. Or slowly thru them if I cannot avoid them. 30km of possibly ‘impossible to drive on’ road ahead of me. I hate myself for being so smart to take the shortcut.
But now that I am in it anyway, I decide to (try to) enjoy it as well. I realized I am in a place I would otherwise have never visited. The grain and sunflower fields are beautiful. I am alone. Half way I stop to take some photographs. The quiet is impressive.
When I have finally survived the 40km stretch, I hit the main road at Prykolotne. It should be better from here. Well, not exactly. By times the remaining 24km to the border are as bad. When I get closer to the border the road gets smaller. Am I really heading towards a border crossing? I would not be surprised that soon I will hit a fence rather than a border crossing. But to my relieve I do find a border crossing in operation. Thank God. It might take me some time to cross, but roads on the other side will definitely be better.
First I need to get a car insurance for Russia. I was afraid I would not be able to get one at this small post. But surprisingly, although traffic here seems to be minimal, there is competition on the insurance market. There are even four kiosks to choose from! Inside one of them the next surprise of the day awaits me. ‘I would sell you the insurance if you could pass here, but you cannot. This is not an ‘international’ border crossing. Here only locals (Ukrainians/Russians) can pass.’. The border guard at the gate confirms his statement. Crossing here is impossible. Closest by international crossing is Pletenivka some 60 to 70 km back towards Belgorod. Over the intercom the guard double checks that Pletenivka is indeed ‘international’. Asking about how to get there he mumbles something about ‘not much of a road’ to Pletenivka.
So I return to Prykolotne only to find out that the road from Prykolotne to Voltsjansk (which I should have taken if I had not be so stubborn to take the shortest route) is of even worse quality. Another 40km of this? I feel desperate. But there is no other solution than to just do it and hope for better roads after each turn. I have to be careful with my car. If I would rupture a tire or break something there is no Ukrainian ANWB equivalent (Dutch AAA or ADAC) that would get me out of here any time soon.
I pass thru a village where the central place/crossing is one big pothole all together. How do people live here? What means of transport do they have to escape from these places? How are they being supplied?
After two long hours I reach the other border crossing. I decide to give it a try and pass by the (longer than expected) que in front of the first barrier. I better first check whether I can indeed cross here, to not waste my time in the que for nothing. And who knows I can manage to skip the que. The plan works and after a chat with the border guard (mostly about the car), as soon as barrier opens, I am the first to enter. But not after very carefully going thru the last enormous pothole which forms the entrance to the border territory.
At the border everything goes smooth. A lot of attention from both officials and others crossing the border. It makes for a relaxed friendly atmosphere. When I am done on the Ukrainian side I give them a drag racing style demonstration on the short stretch towards the last Ukrainian barrier. For this I receive a 5+ (Russian A+ grade) from the guard at the barrier.
On the Russian side a new very well laid out facility (without potholes). Similar scene. Friendly officials. One make me off load all my luggage for inspection of the luggage and the car. But it is not quite clear to me whether this is because he is taking his job seriously or to create a chance for himself to have a closer look at the car.
The only issue that appears is that I do not have a translation of the authorization (in four languages) I have with my company car (my company, the owner of the car, authorizes me to take the car abroad and sign any documents needed in the process). It is legalized by the chamber of commerce and via an Apostille stamp. Advance research taught me that a translation (at least at the mayor border crossings into Russia) is not needed.
But instead of making a problem out of it, they understand that this is a genuine document and are being creative in finding a solution. This takes a while (no idea what the lady went to do) but then the problem seems to be solved. After some more signatures and stamps I am ‘released’ and ready to enter Russia. Pobeda!
It is late and dark and I am worn out. I find a hotel in the nearby town of Shebekino. It takes a bit of persuasion to convince the lady to let me charge my car (slow, single phase). It is still difficult for Russians to take or accept responsibility. Although I realize I have lost a day, I am happy I made it into Russia and that this day is over. I praise the Lord that my car is still in one piece and undamaged and all tires are intact. It could have been so much worse.
Today I learned that the roads of Ukraine are really ‘renewable’, meaning more than ready to be renewed.
Left Poltava: 8:35
Arrive Shebekino: 22:40
Distance travelled: 374km
(Effective distance: 246 km)
Total distance: 2812 km