Russian oil pipelne to bypass Belarus could be constructed by 2012

The construction of the first stage of an oil pipeline to bypass Belarus could be completed in the first quarter of 2010, Transneft CEO Nikolai Tokarev said when meeting with Russia's prime minister Vladimir Putin.
Transneft CEO said the first stage of the pipeline had to be finished in the fall of 2010, but works are in full swing, as necessary funding is fully available, reports Rosbalt.

The construction began in June 2009. The pipeline will connect the Bryansk region and Leningrad region of Russia. Moscow reckons that the pipeline will reduce Russia's dependence on the oil transit through Belarus to the West.