Putin drives car in annexed Crimea during rare trip outside Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a newly constructed part of Tavrida road in the annexedCrimeaon Thursday.

Putin took a ride on the new road together with the main technical expert of the constructor company. In one of his comments, Putin suggested that the road should be equipped with more turnoffs for those who come to the seaside.

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The construction of Tavrida road, linking mainCrimean cities, was launched in 2017 and its total length is estimated slightly over 250 km.

During his working visit to Crimea, Vladimir Putin took part in the launch of motor traffic on the finished sections of the Taurida motorway https://t.co/1M0NDQPHl3 pic.twitter.com/umnUjmuui9 — President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) August 27, 2020

Since the beginning of the novel coronavirus outbreak in March, Vladimir Putin worked in Kremlin or Novo-Ogaryovo, rarely left Moscow.

In July he revealed the World War II memorial near the city of Rzhev, about 200 km from the Russian capital, and visited theCrimean port of Kerch.

Moscow annexedCrimeafrom Ukraine in 2014, drawing sanctions and sending relations with the West to post-Cold War lows.

Russia has spent heavily to integrateCrimeainto its territory, and it has been the focus of espionage and military tensions since its annexation.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Putin's visit toCrimeawas an act of violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.