The Kerch bridgewhich connects Russia with the annexed peninsula of Crimea, is one of the most important infrastructural works of the peninsula and it was opened in 2018 by Russian President Vladimir Putinas a symbol that seals the annexation in 2014. Today, a truck bomb detonated it in a heavy blow against the Kremlin leader just 24 hours after his 70th birthday.
The construction of the bridge, which is 19 kilometers long and is considered the longest in Europe, was the physical seal of the annexation of the Crimean peninsula. For its inauguration on May 15, 2018 Putin arrived on the scene behind the wheel of a Russian-made Kamaz truck.
The head of the Kremlin drove the vehicle to the Kerch Strait, which joins the Azov and Black Seas, to inaugurate the bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula with mainland Russia without passing through Ukrainian territory.
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a truck bomb caused a fire and part of the bridge collapsed, which serves as an important logistical supply route for Russian forces in Crimea and southern Ukraine.
The Kremlin has accused the government of Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky of being behind the burst what happened one day after the 70th birthday of the Russian president.
Why was the Crimean bridge built?
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, after a referendum on the peninsula not recognized by Ukraine, and the only way to connect the two areas without passing through Ukrainian territory was through a bridge over the Kerch Strait.
The the majestic construction began in February 2016 and had a Total cost of 228 billion rubles, approximately 3,000 million euros.
The Russian engineering bridge includes four vehicle lanes, two in each direction, and two tracks, one in each direction.
The December 23, 2019 Putin was instructed to inaugurate, aboard a train, the railway connecting Russia with the adjoining Crimean peninsula. The expected speed of the journey was 120 kilometers per hour.
“It goes much smoother than the car,” Putin told the train driver. The Russian leader boarded the train in the city of Kerch and alighted in Tamán (Krasnodar region), already on the mainland.
On that occasion, Putin called the project “great”. “This is a very important event for Crimea, Sevastopol and all of southern Russia, and also for our entire country,” she said.
In addition, with the long-distance train “Tavria” – the ancient name of Crimea – permanently connects St. Petersburg and Sevastopol.
Everything surrounding the construction of the bridge has been condemned by both Ukraine and the West, which considers the peninsula part of Ukrainian territory.
With information from EFE
Source: Clarin
