How cargo travels from Asia to Ukraine bypassing Russia: the Middle Corridor, TRACECA and Belt and Road
After 2022, the usual 'northern' route from China to Europe — through Russia — became unacceptable for many: sanctions, risk, reputation. Cargo flows began looking for alternatives further south. That's how the Middle Corridor rose to prominence — a route across the Caspian and the Caucasus, with Georgia as a key transit link.
Let's unpack the three related terms you'll meet here — the Middle Corridor (TITR), TRACECA and the Belt and Road Initiative — in plain language, and above all: how this affects delivery to Ukraine.
The Middle Corridor (TITR)
The Middle Corridor, formally the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), is a multimodal route of about 4,000 km from China to Europe that bypasses Russia. The path runs: China → Kazakhstan → ferry across the Caspian Sea → Azerbaijan → Georgia → on to Turkey or across the Black Sea to Europe and Ukraine.
Why it grew: the route is roughly 3,000 km shorter than the northern one (through Russia), and China–Europe transit now averages 10–15 days, versus about double that on the northern route and up to 60 days by sea around Asia. Volumes jumped after 2022: per the TITR association, about 57,000 containers moved along the corridor in 2024 (up from 20,500 in 2023), and in Q1 2026, 125 container trains left China — 34% more than a year earlier.
That said, the corridor doesn't yet replace the northern one: by volume it's still much smaller, and the bottlenecks are real — limited port and rail capacity, several transshipments en route, and fragmented tariffs. The World Bank estimates the Middle Corridor could take up to 20% of overland China–EU trade by 2030.
TRACECA — the EU framework
TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe–Caucasus–Asia) is an intergovernmental programme launched back in 1993 with EU backing. It's essentially the broader 'framework' for the same Europe–Caucasus–Asia axis: it works on infrastructure, easier customs and harmonised rules along the route. Georgia is a TRACECA member. If the Middle Corridor is the concrete route and volumes, TRACECA is the institutional foundation beneath it.
The Belt and Road Initiative (One Belt One Road)
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also One Belt One Road / OBOR) is China's global initiative to build trade routes into Europe, Asia and Africa. It has two parts: a land 'belt' (rail and road across Central Asia and the Caucasus) and a maritime 'road'. The Middle Corridor is effectively one branch of that land belt. Georgia has signed a free-trade agreement with China and is seen as a BRI link, including through the planned Anaklia deep-sea port.
Georgia's role — and why it matters to you
Georgia is the key gateway of the Middle Corridor to the Black Sea and Europe. The main sea points are the ports of Poti and Batumi; in 2025 container throughput at Georgian ports rose about 17%, and growth continued into early 2026. A deep-sea port at Anaklia (for Panamax/Post-Panamax vessels), able to handle up to ~600,000 containers a year by 2029, is under discussion — but the project is moving slowly and its 2026 budget was cut. In short, the corridor's potential is large, but the infrastructure is still catching up with demand.
For an importer shipping from Asia to Ukraine, the practical takeaway is this: the route via Georgia is a real and growing alternative, but it's multimodal and has bottlenecks — so it matters who assembles it for you and picks the best option: by sea across the Black Sea, combined via the Caspian, or otherwise.
Where we come in
ABU JORJIA is physically in Georgia — right on this corridor. We ship cargo from Asia and the UAE to Ukraine, pick the route and line for your cargo, handle documents and customs and run the delivery end-to-end. You don't need to master TITR, TRACECA and alliances — you tell us what you're shipping and from where, and we build the route. We'll price your option and rate within 24 hours.
Sources: TITR Association, World Bank, Georgian port statistics, industry publications (2024–2026). Route and volume figures are approximate and subject to change.