Putin walks along Crimean bridge destroyed as 'birthday gift' in October

On December 5, ten months after Vladimir Putin announced ‘special military operations’ against Ukraine, the Russian President drove across the strategically crucial Crimean bridge that links southern Russia to the Crimean peninsula administered by Russia since 2014. The significant geopolitical statement came less than two months after an explosion tore through the Crimean bridge in what was perceived in the west as a major breakthrough for the Ukrainian defences against Russia’s ongoing offence in Ukraine.

The destructionofCrimean Bridge on October 8 was hailed by Ukrainian authorities as ‘a birthday gift to Putin’, as visuals of burning vehicles and scorched sections of the bridge surfaced on social media.

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The 12-mile (19 km) road and rail bridge was personally opened by Putin in 2018.

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Putin was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin. He was shown on state television behind the wheel of a Mercedes, asking questions about where the attack took place.

"We are driving on the right hand side," Putin said, as he drove across the bridge. "The left side of the bridge, as I understand it, is in working condition, but nevertheless it needs to be completed. It still suffered a little, we need to bring it to an ideal state."

Putin also walked along parts of the bridge, Europe's largest, to inspect sections that showed the impact of the October 8 attack on it.

Ukraine never claimed responsibility for the bombing of the bridge on the morning of Oct. 8, a day after Putin's 70th birthday. Russia's Federal Security Service said the attack was organised by Ukrainian military intelligence.
The explosion wrecked one section of the road bridge, temporarily halting traffic across the Kerch Strait. The blast also destroyed several fuel tankers on a train heading towards the annexed Crimean peninsula from neighbouring southern Russia.

Russia in 2014 claimed administrative control of Crimea. Ukraine has vowed to return Crimea, which relies on the bridge for crucial supplies.

Putin's ally Arkady Rotenberg's company built the vast structure, which is Europe's longest bridge. Putin has long lauded the project, saying at one point that Russian Tsars and Soviet leaders had dreamed of building it but never did.

(With inputs from agencies)

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