MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. For the first time, delegations from 20 BRICS+ countries will ride together in a single column on the M-12 Vostok (East) highway as part of a motor race from Yekaterinburg to Moscow. The motor rally will take place on roads maintained by the Avtodor state-owned company on August 9-15, according to a statement from the organizer, the National Association of Infrastructure Companies.

"From August 9 to August 15, the BRICS Motor Rally will take place from Yekaterinburg to Moscow <…> for the first time ever. Delegates from 20 countries <…> will drive in a single column on the new M-12 Vostok from Yekaterinburg to Moscow and participate in business and cultural events organized with the help of the Sverdlovsk Region, the Republic of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, the Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir regions, and the Moscow government,” the statement reads.

The main objective of the car race is to showcase Russia’s latest advancements in transportation infrastructure, as well as its potential in trade, industrial production, and investment to foreign partners.

Rally route

The route will be split into two stages, one from Yekaterinburg to Kazan, and the other from Kazan to Moscow. The youth route will begin in Yekaterinburg, involving foreign students at Russian universities who come from BRICS+ countries. They will finish the race in Kazan, passing the baton to business leaders from BRICS+ countries.

Top managers from 30 companies in the construction, infrastructure, logistics, and oil and gas industries from BRICS member countries as well as nations invited to join the grouping will take part in the Kazan-Moscow leg of the rally. As part of that, a number of business and cultural events showcasing the potential of Russian regions in trade, industrial production, investment, and tourism will be held in Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Suzdal, and Moscow.

The car race marks the opening of a major section of the M-12 Vostok highway, stretching from Dyurtyuli to the urban locality of Achit. President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony via video link in July 2025. The new highway is the next section of the M-12 highway to Yekaterinburg. The project provides a 2,400-km seamless express route that connects St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, reducing travel time by more than 22 hours.

TASS is the general information partner of the motor rally.