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Vladimir Putin inaugurated this Monday, December 23, the railway connecting Crimea to Russia. The construction of a controversial bridge was launched in 2016 and its road part of this bridge was opened to traffic last year.
From our correspondent in Moscow , Etienne Bouche
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, this is a very symbolic project. Built in record time, this bridge was intended to show the world the de facto connection of the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Filmed in the driver's cabin, Vladimir Putin made the first crossing between the Crimean city of Kerch and the town of Taman. The commissioning of this railway completes a colossal project entrusted to the billionaire Arkadi Rotenberg, a close friend of the Russian president. In his short speech broadcast by Russia Today , Vladimir Putin praised a technical feat.
" Through your work, your talent, your stubbornness and your motivation, you have shown that Russia is capable of carrying out such a project at an international level ," he said.
"Restoring rail links"
The construction of this bridge is the subject of a vast communication campaign in Russia. Public media reports the discovery of historic remains in the Kerch Strait and the book gave its name to bottles of wine.
In official speeches, the question of the status of Crimea no longer arises. Vladimir Putin insisted: this is not a launch but a re-establishment of rail links. Traffic via the mainland had been stopped following the annexation of the peninsula.
Trains will connect Crimea to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The very first train left the former Russian imperial capital on Monday, December 23. The trip to Sevastopol should take just over 43 hours.
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