UST: News

Interview with Anatoly Yunitskiy on the eve of the 11^th stage of development

Anatoly Yunitskiy: Very difficult.

Mikhail Kirichenko: At least it seems to them.

A.Y.: I am not a showman and I don't have to make a fuss every evening.

M.K.: But I hope it was in your plans.

A.Y.: No, it was not planned.

M.K.: I'm pleased. But why did you start unauthorized building work?

A.Y.: Who said it was unauthorized? We did it at less cost, in a shorter period.

A.Y.: Right, finally!

M.K.: Good day, Anatoly!

M.K.: We receive a lot of letters from our partners, who ask many questions. I have prepared the basic ones for you to answer today. Firstly, many people are interested, why you started to give us interviews and pay your attention more rarely both to the News Service and to our partners, for whom we work.

A.Y.: It seems so, it is not more rarely. I am not a showman and I don't have to make a fuss every evening. There is much work and I am focused now on other aspects instead of giving some information on our activities.

M.K.: People think that in addition to your less frequent appearance in the news they also decreased in number. Is it really so?

A.Y.: No, the news did not decrease in number. Simply some news remain behind the scenes, because we cannot speak about everything. Everybody is waiting for the news on targeted projects, however this subject is classified at this stage. We shall furnish info on targeted projects at the time, when we sign contracts and agreements, when nobody will be able to change anything.

M.K.: Thank you, but could you at least give a hint about what is happening in certain areas and directions?

A.Y.: Well, according to the business plans. They consist of 15 stages. We are proceeding with them. Every stage is a direction vector for development. There are two components in it to finish stages: completion of certain activities and financing. And deadlines, of course. If one of these factors is completed, the stage is closed. So, according to this schedule we had to complete many activities this year. However, there are force-majeure circumstances, we cannot envisage everything. For example, Lithuania has put our clock back for 1.5-2 years. They have blocked our accounts, confiscated our funds and property. They also tried to impose an image of a Russian spy on me.

Anatoly Yunitskiy created several companies in 2014 in Lithuania that had to build a SkyWay test site at the rented land plot in the free economic zone "Siauliai". After a number of negative publications in the local media, the Prosecution Service of Lithuania has initiated against Dr Yunitskiy's Companies an inspection based on the suspicion of illegal financial operations.

As a result, the author and designer of SkyWay had to relocate his project to the Republic of Belarus, where construction of a testing and demonstration center for SkyWay transport started in the town of Maryina Gorka, Minsk region in April 2015.

The Investigation of the Lithuanian Prosecution Service was terminated in June 2017 due to the absence of proof on the leveled accusation.

To date, the General designer of SkyWay has not received any formal apologies from the Lithuanian authorities.

A.Y.: Just imagine, I arrived in Belarus 2.5 years ago and I was here alone. Now look what we have done during that period. We have built 3 testing tracks. The boosting section of the high-speed route, which is also an urban track of string trusses. Two types of the urban route: lightweight and sagging ones. Now we are completing the construction of the freight track. By the way, construction of the lightweight urban system was not a part of the plans. However, we have built it. We did not plan to produce the unibike, but we made it. It is not at EcoTechnoPark now; it is on the way to the Emirates by boat, because it will be displayed at an exhibition in Dubai in April. We have designed and built an 18-seat unicar. It was not planned either. We have designed and produced a double-rail unibus for 48 passengers that will be certified this year. It can be used to make up trains of any capacity. It was not included in the plans either. We have already our own production facility that was not planned either. We have purchased it. We have installed there the most sophisticated and expensive equipment.

M.K.: I hope this was planned.

A.Y.: No, it was not in the plans either. They did not contain a production facility at all. They defined only demonstration and manufacturing by external companies. However, when we started to work, it turned out that when we placed orders to outside contractors, the terms were delayed, the cost was higher and the quality was lower. In order to raise the efficiency, it was decided to do it by our own efforts. As a result, we did it at less funds, in shorter terms and with higher quality. We arranged production of motor-wheels. We are producing electric motors ourselves. It was not planned either. We have in our property this four-storeyed office building housing about 350 people. It is only a part of our Company, because another part works in the trade center "Titan", where we stayed previously. We have also purchased there one floor for our property. It was not included in the plans either. Anyway, why should we pay rental charges for years, if we can have our own premise? If necessary, we can sell it and get the money back. It is more reasonable, isn't it? We have designed a freight system "Unicont" to transport containers. It was not planned either.

M.K.: Does it mean all these 15 stages are not a dogma, but guidelines for action?

A.Y.: Yes, it is a vector. But anticipating your question about the high-speed line:

M.K.: Right, I have it here. They ask this question.

A.Y.: Many people ask about it. There are also objective reasons, why we did not start to build this high-speed complex, though the whole project documentation has been prepared. We have designed a high-speed unibus that will reach 500 km/h speed. We are manufacturing it now and we shall deliver and exhibit it at the trade fair InnoTrans 2018 in Berlin. I think it will be the highlight of the exhibition.

M.K.: As unibike and unibus were two years ago.

A.Y.: Right, but has anybody displayed a 500 km/h high-speed vehicle at InnoTrans?

M.K.: I don't think so.

A.Y.: Neither do I. We have designed a track and an overpass for it with the entire infrastructure. But when we started the process of land acquisition for the high-speed route, it was very slow due to some well-worn reasons. I even wrote a letter to the President asking to help and push on the land allocation. And his Administration answered that they would not worry the President with the trifles and our statements that Belarus would benefit from it are very unconvincing. The local Executive Committee answered that they felt pity for the birds. Moreover, many valuable timber trees will be cut off, though the line was planned to pass across a swamp along a federal highway. It was clear that the reason was far-fetched. We did not stop this work, but visiting offices for years is senseless.

M.K.: So there is no way out?

A.Y.: Not quite. We are proceeding with this work, but we are not focused on building it here. We are in contact with several countries and have some alternative options. We are working with them and I will report the results in 1.5-2 months.

M.K.: Fine! You made me happy.

A.Y.: We shall build it there very quickly. Imagine, we wanted to build it here, where half of the route passes through a swamp. Do you understand how difficult it is to build in a swamp? How it is difficult to cut off valuable timber trees, to save birds, etc. We can build in a country, where there are no birds and no swamps. No need to cut off trees, no need to save birds.

M.K.: I can even guess the country.

A.Y.: No winter there, no frosts. It is easier, less costly and faster to build there.

M.K.: By the way, as regards the construction, on reading all our permits for EcoTechnoPark, many people ask, why did you start its construction without authorization?

A.Y.: Who said it was "without authorization"?

M.K.: It was written somewhere...

A.Y.: Squatter construction does not mean "without authorization". The thing is that if we acted traditionally, we would be waiting for the permission until now. We wouldn't have achieved anything. We would have only wild grass and potholes at the test site. A tank range. That's why it was coordinated with the local authorities that with the purpose of intensifying the work we would start the procedures of permission and construction in parallel, passing all the expert examinations. It was really that way. We had to record it in normative documents. Actually, we did not build anything without authorization and coordination. Thus, it was easier to launch the project. Now we have commissioned several objects at EcoTechnoPark and received certificates for them.

M.K.: Thank you. You have already mentioned targeted projects and said this subject is classified, therefore I am not going to ask a question about them. However, what is going on now at the demonstration center EcoTechnoPark? There are no secrets about it. Since it is already commissioned in operation and its objects are accepted, no doubt the oncoming EcoFest will surpass all the previous ones. Tell us what we shall see there.

A.Y.: Well, I cannot tell everything. Some intrigue should be kept there. But we will show many things that were not included in our plains either. We did not have financing for them, therefore I stress again that we are doing more than it was planned and at less cost. And faster than it was planned. Therefore, we will show many unplanned things. We did not have funds for them, but we are doing it. Firstly, we will show one more type of the track. It will be super-lightweight and less costly by several times than our lightweight structure. Its efficiency will be the same, but it will be much cheaper. We will demonstrate it. We will also display two new transportation systems. The largest drone aircraft in the world. It doesn't exist anywhere. Neither in the USA, nor in Germany or Japan. Nowhere! Its carrying capacity is above 1 ton. It is not because we want to show something that nobody else produced. Even when we intended to build a route through a swamp, we faced the problem that we would have to do a road to each spot for the installation of supports. That's why we need a drone capable to deliver the elements of supports and track structures weighing about one ton.

M.K.: For the construction.

A.Y.: Right, for the construction. How can we cross a river or build it in the highlands? It is necessary, because if we rent a traditional helicopter, it will cost millions of dollar per year. Moreover, we would depend on somebody else. We need our own aircraft, therefore we will show this drone.

M.K.: In summer at EcoFest?

A.Y.: Of course, we shall not ride people in it, because it is a freight drone. But we will show how it will fly up with a cargo of 1 ton. We will be able to offer a ride to our investors in our rolling stock, too.

A.Y.: Right, finally. We will also show our own electric car having no analogues in the world. It is made for social purpose. It is designed primarily for disabled persons in a wheelchair. There are no such electric cars, where the driver may sit in a wheelchair and drive it. Remembering that we have many disabled investors, once I promised to help them. I remember my promise.

M.K.: Thank you very much, Anatoly. It was a very interesting conversation today. Summing it up, I'd like to wish you to implement all your noble goals in life.