- Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kerch Bridge, damaged by an explosion in October.
- The bridge is a key link between the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian mainland.
- Moscow plans to finish repairs on the bridge by July 1, 2023, Russian state media report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to the Kerch Bridge, a crucial crossing between the Crimean peninsula and the Russian mainland that was partially destroyed by an explosion in October, according to Russian state media.
Photos and videos from the trip have been made public, and one of them shows Putin driving a Mercedes while Marat Khusnullin, the deputy prime minister of Russia, sits next to him. Putin can be seen strolling down a portion of the bridge in another video.
In the driving video, Khusnullin tells Putin that “metal was available for bridge parts, so the metal was brought over to build these structures, and within two weeks all the 1,214 tons were assembled and brought here.” This is an apparent reference to the damage caused to the bridge by the explosion on October 8.
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In a video released by Russian state TV, Putin asks: “How many people worked on the repairs?”
Khunsnullin replies that there were “500 people, three floating cranes, four barges and 31 pieces of equipment around the clock.”
During the visit, a worker told Putin that, while traffic had been scheduled to resume on December 20, “critical decisions which accelerated construction” allowed the section to be reopened on Monday.
The longest bridge in Europe, the 11-mile Kerch Bridge, carries both rail and vehicle traffic. Due to its connection to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has occupied, and the Krasnodar area of Russia, it is crucial strategically.
When a fuel truck burst, a significant portion of the road was destroyed, seriously damaging the bridge.
The explosion was swiftly attributed to Kiev by the Kremlin, and Putin claimed that Ukrainian security forces engaged in “sabotage” in the blast.
According to a decree posted on the government portal on October 14, Moscow declared intentions to finish bridge repairs by July 1, 2023.
In 2018, Putin ceremoniously crossed the Kerch Bridge in a truck to signify its opening, which was broadcast on Russian state television to great fanfare.
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