- November 15, 2025
- 7:10 pm
- Ukraine
In recent days, loud publications have appeared in Israeli religious media resources stating that Ukraine “allocated 700 million hryvnias — about 17 million dollars — for the repair of the road leading to the grave of Shneur Zalman of Liadi“, the founder of the Hasidic movement Chabad-Lubavitch. This is a huge amount for local conditions, especially in the midst of war.
NANovosti investigated what exactly is being written in Israel, what figures are in Ukrainian documents, who lobbied for the project, and how many kilometers of road are actually being repaired.
We have already written about the grave itself in a large article – “In Ukraine, a ‘Cohen Bridge’ was built for $1,000,000: in Hadiach, the Chabad shrine was made accessible to the descendants of ancient priests — what is it and for what purpose?”
What Israeli media write
On the Hamechadesh (המחדש) website, it is written that Rabbi Shneur Zalman Deutsch, a representative of Chabad in Hadiach, claims the following:
Source: November 13, 2025 https://hm-news.co.il/593188/
“The government of Ukraine, under pressure (Hebrew original – בעקבות לחץ) from the emissary Rabbi Meir Stambler, allocated a budget of 700 million hryvnias, which amounts to about 17 million dollars…
The road between Lokhvytsia and Hadiach 30 km long is completely resurfaced…
By January (2026-ed), the new road will be ready…
I thank Rabbi Stambler, the mayor, and the government in Kyiv for this project.”
The same publication provides a second, extended quote from Rabbi Deutsch:
“The road between the village of Lokhvytsia and Hadiach 30 km long was relaid, and there will be a full-fledged highway…
Immediately after Hanukkah, the new road will be ready.
The budget allocated several years ago was redirected to the needs of the war.
But the mayor, understanding the spiritual importance of Zion, informed us at the opening ceremony of the ‘Cohen Bridge’ that a new budget would be allocated, and the work began immediately.”
The reference is likely to be to the mayor of Hadiach, Volodymyr Nistorenko (in Hadiach, Poltava region, a ‘Cohen Bridge’ was opened) – “The mayor of the city, Volodymyr Nistorenko, supported the project and reported that the authorities allocated funds for the repair of 40 kilometers of the Lokhvytsia–Sumy road leading to the shrine.”
The Emess website also reports that this road was “the most broken in Ukraine” and that its restoration is of great importance for religious pilgrims.
“In about two months, on the 24th of Tevet — the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) of the founder of Chabad Hasidism, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi — thousands of people are expected to visit his holy burial site in the city of Hadiach in Ukraine.
Everyone who has ever traveled to Zion knows the broken road in the Poltava region: dozens of kilometers to the city itself. It is a bumpy, rutted path that forces extremely slow travel, causing great inconvenience and turning the trip into a torment — often also for the vehicle’s suspension. Ukrainian drivers often refuse to take pilgrims to Hadiach, claiming it is ‘the most broken road in Ukraine.’
Source: https://www.emess.co.il/radio/1782186
Thus, Israeli media present the project as implemented “under pressure (?) from Chabad emissaries” with mention of the figure of 700 million hryvnias and the road length of “30 km”.
Hamechadesh and Emess are Israeli religious media of the Haredi sector, oriented towards the ultra-Orthodox and Hasidic audience. The first is mainly read by Litvaks and broad Haredi communities, while the second is mainly read by Hasidic circles, including followers of Chabad and Breslov. These sites regularly publish community news, rabbinical messages, and materials related to pilgrimages to Jewish shrines, including in Ukraine.
According to SimilarWeb, Israeli religious media Hamechadesh and Emess have comparable audiences: about 1 million visits per month for Hamechadesh and approximately 800–830 thousand visits per month for Emess. Both resources consistently rank among the most visited sites in the Haredi and Hasidic segments in Israel.
How close is Hadiach to the front line
According to the DeepState map (November 14, 2025), Hadiach is located in the rear of the Poltava region. The nearest active front line is in the area of Sumy and Bilopillya, to the northeast.
The distance from Hadiach to the combat zone is approximately 80–100 kilometers. This means that the repaired T-17-05 highway is far from the front and is not in a zone of direct military threat.
What Ukrainian official documents show
The main fact:
the repair is financed by the Ukrainian state — not by Chabad, not by private donors, and not by Israel.
NANovosti checked the data:
- ProZorro
- Poltava Today
- Suspilne Poltava
- Poltava Region Restoration Service
- decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
And here’s what was found:
✔ 1. What is this road
The repair is being carried out on a section of the state highway:
T-17-05 Lokhvytsia – Hadiach – Okhtyrka – BCP “Velyka Pysarivka”
section: from the 6th km to the 30th km. The repaired section of the T-17-05 highway begins approximately at the town of Zavodske (6th kilometer of the road) and ends in the area between Petrovka-Romenska and Serednyaky (about the 30th kilometer), covering about 24 kilometers of the route towards Hadiach.
Source: Poltava Today, road department data.
According to the head of the Lokhvytsia community, “this section of the road is in terrible condition. It is impossible to drive on it, so people have been bypassing through other settlements for decades. The road repair was planned several years ago but was postponed due to the start of the full-scale war.”
✔ 2. How much is actually being repaired — 24 km, not 30
Israeli media indicate:
“road length 30 km”
But official Ukrainian documents state:
- the section starts at 6+050 km of the highway
- ends at 30+000 km of the highway
Difference:
30,000 − 6,050 = 23,950 m ≈ 24 km
That is:
👉 about 24 km are being repaired,
👉 and “30 km” is a rounding used by Israeli media.
✔ 3. How much the repair costs according to Ukrainian documents
According to Poltava Today:
- cost of work: 655 million UAH;
- source: reserve fund of the state budget of Ukraine;
- customer: Restoration and Development of Infrastructure Service in Poltava Region.
Source:
https://poltava.today/myrgorodskomu-rajoni-startuvav-remont-dorogy/
According to Suspilne Poltava:
- the expected cost of the ProZorro tender was: 666.9 million UAH.
“According to the concluded contract, the completion of the repair is expected by the end of 2026.”
“The total cost of the work is 655 million UAH, which is allocated from the reserve fund of the state budget.”
“On September 19, 2025, after the tender, the regional Restoration and Development of Infrastructure Service signed a contract with LLC ‘Energy Road Construction’ from the Cherkasy region.
According to the schedule, 10 million UAH is planned for repair by the end of this year, and the main part of the funds — 645 million UAH — will be used in 2026.
The road connecting Hadiach and Lokhvytsia has not been repaired for at least ten years and was in extremely poor condition, despite being the only road between these settlements.”
“One of the reasons for the repair is the need to ensure logistics for the military, as the Poltava region is already considered a frontline area — along with Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions,” noted Oleksiy Matiushenko, a deputy of the Poltava Regional Council, on PTV channel.
Israeli media may have interpreted this as funding specifically for the “road to Zion,” which explains the discrepancy.
✔ 4. The role of the Chabad community — lobbying, not financing
In all Ukrainian documents:
✘ there is no mention of financing from Chabad;
✘ there are no mentions of private religious donors;
✘ there is no participation of Israel in financing.
✔ there is a direct indication that the source of funds is the state budget of Ukraine.
So the formula is:
👉 lobbying — religious/community,
👉 money — Ukrainian state.
Although Israeli religious media presented the repair as a “road to Zion,” in reality, it is about the standard restoration of a 24-kilometer section of the state highway T-17-05. Hadiach is located about 90 kilometers from the front line, and the Poltava region remains a rear but strategically important region through which logistics between central Ukraine and frontline areas pass.
The project’s funding is entirely state, and religious communities played only the role of lobbyists, drawing attention to the problematic road. In this context, the repair does not appear as a privilege or gesture “for pilgrims,” but as part of a broader policy of maintaining the resilience of rear infrastructure in wartime conditions.
Who is Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812) was an outstanding Jewish thinker, the founder of the Hasidic movement Chabad-Lubavitch.
Main facts:
- born in 1745 in Liozna (Belarus);
- student of the Maggid of Mezritch — successor of Baal Shem Tov;
- creator of the philosophy of CHABAD (Chochma–Bina–Da’at: wisdom – understanding – knowledge);
- author of the foundational book “Tanya”;
- wrote the halachic code “Shulchan Aruch Ha-Rav”;
- died in 1812;
- buried in Hadiach, Poltava region.
The grave of Shneur Zalman is a major pilgrimage site for Chabad Hasidim from around the world.
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NANovosti Israel News Nikk.Agency
