- Title: Putin visits the site of Crimea bridge blast
- Date: 5th December 2022
- Summary: KERCH STRAIT, CRIMEA (DECEMBER 5, 2022) (RUSSIAN POOL) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN LISTENING TO CONSTRUCTION WORKER ON CRIMEA BRIDGE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "This part of the road collapsed, right? (CONSTRUCTION WORKER: "YES") Where we are standing now, right? (CONSTRUCTION WORKER: "YES") (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, ASKING DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MARAT KHUSNULLIN: "When will this part of the railway bridge (be repaired)?" DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, MARAT KHUSNULLIN, SAYING: "The project for this part is fully completed. In order not to halt the traffic on the right side, we decided to keep the left one operational without any pauses. The date that was named (for the works to be completed) is around September 1 (2023), but we will see if it can be done faster". (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "Of course, faster is more desirable." VARIOUS OF PUTIN WALKING ON BRIDGE WITH KHUSNULLIN AND BUILDERS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING: "Look, the explosion was intense." DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, MARAT KHUSNULLIN, SAYING: "The explosion was very intense, Vladimir Vladimirovich. Can you imagine, from this part (the road bridge) to that one (the railway bridge) the fragments caused such damage." VARIOUS OF PUTIN AND KHUSNULLIN TALKING WHILE LOOKING AT THE DAMAGED PART OF RAILWAY BRIDGE / CLOSE-UP OF REPAIRS ON RAILWAY BRIDGE / PUTIN LISTENING TO BUILDER
- Embargoed: 19th December 2022 17:36
- Keywords: Crimea bridge Vladimir Putin explosion
- Location: KERCH STRAIT, CRIMEA
- City: KERCH STRAIT, CRIMEA
- Country: Crimea
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001458105122022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: SEE 4558 EDIT FOR FOOTAGE OF VLADIMIR PUTIN DRIVING ON BRIDGE
President Vladimir Putin on Monday (December 5) drove a Mercedes across the Crimean Bridge linking southern Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, less than two months since an explosion tore through one of the Kremlin chief's showcase infrastructure projects.
Putin, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, was shown on state television behind the wheel of a car, asking questions about where the attack took place. He also walked along parts of the bridge to inspect sections that are still visibly scorched and spoke to the construction workers that were conducting the repairs.
The 12-mile (19 km) road and rail bridge, which was personally opened by Putin in 2018, was bombed on October 8 in an attack Russia said was carried out by Ukraine.
Ukraine never claimed responsibility for the explosion that happened a day after Putin's 70th birthday. Russia's Federal Security Service said the attack was organised by Ukrainian military intelligence.
The explosion wrecked one section of the road bridge, temporarily halting traffic across the Kerch Strait. The blast also destroyed several fuel tankers on a train heading towards the annexed Crimean peninsula from neighbouring southern Russia.
Russia in 2014 annexed Crimea, which was transferred from Soviet Russia to Soviet Ukraine in 1954 by then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and recognised by Russia in 1994 after the collapse of the USSR.
Ukraine has vowed to return Crimea, which relies on the bridge for supplies.
Putin's ally Arkady Rotenberg's company built the vast structure, which is Europe's longest bridge. Putin has long lauded the project, boasting at one point that Russian Tsars and Soviet leaders had dreamed of building it but never did. - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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