Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to the Kerch Bridge, a key link between the annexed Crimean peninsula and mainland Russia, which was partially destroyed by an explosion in October, according to Russian state media.
Photos and videos of the visit were released, including footage of Putin behind the wheel of a Mercedes sitting next to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Kushnulin. In another video, Putin is seen walking along a section of the bridge.
In the video, Kushnulin is seen telling Putin that "there was metal available to repair the bridge, and within two weeks 1,214 tons[/B] were transported there and assembled". This is an apparent reference to the damage caused to the bridge by the October 8 explosion, CNNi reports.
In a video released by Russian state television, Putin asks: "How many people worked on the repairs?", with Kushnulin responding 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 was scheduled to resume on December 20, "critical decisions that accelerated construction" allowed the section to reopen on Monday.
The 11-mile-long Kerch Bridge is the longest in Europe and both vehicles and trains cross it. It is of strategic importance as it connects Russia's Krasnodar region with the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula.
The bridge was severely damaged when a fuel tanker exploded and destroyed a large section of the road. The Kremlin was quick to blame Kiev for the explosion, and Putin claimed it was an act of "sabotage" by Ukrainian security services.
On 14 October, Moscow announced plans to complete repairs to the bridge by 1 July 2023, according to a decree published on the official government website.
In 2018, Putin symbolically drove a truck across the Kerch Bridge to mark its opening, which was greeted with great admiration on Russian state television.
Source: cnn.gr
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