Images broadcast on Russian television show the Russian president at the wheel of a Mercedes accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin.
Putin went to the Crimean Bridge to inspect the repair work on the Kerch Bridge which connects the Russian Federation to the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. The bridge was badly damaged on 8 October – the day after the 70th birthday of the Kremlin leader – from an explosion on one of the two carriageways, to the passage of a train loaded with fuel on the railway line.
Moscow has accused Ukrainian military intelligence of the attack on the 19 km bridge, the longest in Europe, personally inaugurated by Putin in 2018. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack, denying any responsibility.
In the video broadcast by Rossiya-24, the president can be heard saying: “We are driving along the bridge on the right side. The left side, as I understand it, is fine, but it needs to be completed. It suffered more or less the same damage , it is necessary to bring it to optimal conditions”.
Vladimir Putin, as reported by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking with some workers underlined the importance of the bridge. “Khusnullin gave Putin an explanation of how the roadway restoration works went, how many people were involved, what works will continue”, Peskov said, adding that the Russian president “also had a brief conversation with the workers on the bridge.
