President of Russia #VladimirPutin inaugurated a nearly 11.8 mile-long controversial bridge by driving a bright-orange #kamaz truck across it, the bridge connect Southern #Russia to annexed #Crimea peninsula that Russian troops seized from Ukraine in 2014.
The bridge that spans the #KerchStrait establishes Russia’s first land connection with Crimea and, as such, is freighted with symbolism, with the #Kremlin portraying it as a physical affirmation of the region’s incorporation into Russia.
Speaking at a celebratory concert on the other side of the bridge, where some of Russia’s music stars performed, Putin hailed engineers, telling them the project’s completion was 'a miracle.'
State television showed Putin first meeting with a group of workers before climbing into the Russian-made Kamaz truck and leading a column of other trucks across the bridge. A camera in the truck’s cabin showed a pleased-looking Putin bouncing in his seat as he drove and making small talk with two workers.
About 11.8 miles long, the bridge is the longest in Europe, linking Russia’s southern Krasnodar region to the port of Kerch in Crimea. Crimea's only other land crossing leads into Ukraine and, until now, vehicles traveling from Russia have had to rely on ferries across the strait that are frequently interrupted by bad weather.
Costing $3.6 billion, the bridge is a colossal project, both in terms of engineering and price. Previous efforts to bridge the straits in the Soviet period had faltered because of the difficult conditions in the strait, where powerful winds frequently whip up rough seas.
The bridge will be able to carry 40,000 cars and 47 trains a day. The amount of steel used to build the bridge is enough to construct 32 Eiffel Towers, state-funded broadcaster RT reported.
Historic because in different historical epochs, ever under the tsar-batushka, people dreamt about building this bridge, Putin added, using an affectionate folk name for the #tsars who ruled the Russian empire until the #Soviet period.
The bridge's construction and Putin's drive into Crimea defied criticism from Ukraine and the United States and Europe. Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 was condemned internationally and prompted the United States and the European Union to impose sanctions on Moscow.
In Russia, Crimea's taking made Putin wildly popular and it has become a crucial pillar of his rule, to which the Kremlin frequently turns to rally support. As such, the bridge has been treated by Russian state media as a national feat and been promoted for months in shiny presentations on the main state television channels.
To build it, the Kremlin turned to a company belonging to #ArkadyRotenburg, Putin's childhood friend and one of Russia’s richest men, who today showed Putin around as he inspected the bridge.
#Ukraine Foreign Minister #PavelKlimkin wrote on Twitter: It’s a bridge between occupied Crimea, where people are intimidated and disappear, and Russia, where they arrest 1,600 peaceful protestors in a day. Both ends of the bridge lead to nowhere.
Putin, at the wheel of an orange heavy KAMAZ dump-truck, drove 19 km (12 miles) across the bridge from the Kerch Strait. Some Russians are calling it Putin’s bridge, designed to link Crimea into Russia’s transport network.
At a ceremony broadcast live on state TV, Putin, dressed in blue jeans, was met by cheering workers on the Crimean side after driving the truck in a convoy of vehicles.
WHAT OTHER COUNTRY SAID ABOUT THIS:
The United States has said lifting sanctions requires Russia to give back Crimea, which the Kremlin has flatly rejected. And Putin's flamboyant ride into the peninsula underscored Russia's unwillingness to negotiate on the issue.
Ukrainian President #PetroPoroshenko said: The illegal construction of the Kerch bridge is the latest evidence of the Kremlin’s disregard for international law.
France condemns the construction by Russia of the Kerch Bridge, which deprives Ukraine of full access and the use of its internationally recognized territorial waters, a French Foreign spokeswoman said.
The spokesperson of the European External Action Service said in a statement on Tuesday the bridge was another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The European Union continues to condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia and will not recognize this violation of international law, the spokesperson said.
Rusko otevírá obří most na anektovaný Krym. Putin po něm přejel v náklaďáku a poblahopřál sám sobě, PUTIN OTVORIO ORIJAŠKI MOST KOJI POVEZUJE KRIM S RUSIJOM Sjeo je za volan kamiona pa predvodio kolonu preko 19 kilometara dugačke građevine, Alle sprechen über Putins umstrittene Aktion auf der Krim, aber die meisten übersehen ein Detail, Putin otvoril 'stavbu storočia,' most spájajúci Rusko s Krymom
