[3] The project was proposed after an oil transit dispute between Russia and Belarus at the beginning of January 2007, and was approved by the Russian government on 21 May 2007.
[4] Although in April 2008 Russia's Ministry of Industry and Energy submitted a negative profitability report regarding the pipeline, Russia opted to develop its own infrastructure for exporting hydrocarbons, bypassing former Soviet transit countries.
The main goal of the pipeline is to protect Russia and its partners from the transit countries' possible decisions to raise tariffs or siphon off hydrocarbons.
[5] On 1 December 2008 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a resolution ordering construction.
The pipeline passes Bryansk, Smolensk, Tver, Novgorod, and Leningrad regions.