Putin drives Mercedes on Crimean bridge with deputy PM to inspect reconstruction progress

Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Monday drove a Mercedes across the Crimean Bridge or the Kerch bridge under construction that links southern Russia to the 2014 annexed Crimean peninsula, according to Kremlin-aligned media outlet RIA Novosti. 

Putin travelled with his Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnullin who gave all the updates about the renovation work and the progress on reconstruction of the bridge that was damaged in the explosion two months ago during the fierce fighting between the Russians and the Ukrainian forces. The Crimea Bridge blast shocked Moscow as it is one of the prominent showcase infrastructure projects for Russia after it annexed Crimean territory.

The 12-mile (19 km) road and rail bridge was launched by Putin in 2018 but was attacked in October. Kremlin blamed the Ukrainians for plotting the explosion. Russian installed authorities in Crimea claimed that a truck had exploded on the Crimean Bridge, damaging the infrastructure while civilian cars still drove on it. Vladimir Konstantinov, the Russian-appointed head of the "Crimean Parliament" [set up by the Russian occupiers in 2014], alleged that "Ukrainian vandals" had damaged the entire bridge as the war between Ukraine and Russia intensified.

'We are driving on the right-hand side..': Putin 

In the visuals run by Russian state television on Monday, Russia's leader Putin was seen driving inside the Mercedes as he took stock of the construction of the bridge. He was seen asking questions about the exact location where the explosion took place. "We are driving on the right-hand side," Putin said in the video. "The left side of the bridge, as I understand it, is in working condition, but nevertheless it needs to be completed. It still suffered a little, we need to bring it to an ideal state," he continued to add.

The bridge was targeted just a day after Putin celebrated his 70th birthday on the morning of October 8. Ukraine did not take the responsibility for the bombing of the bridge. Moscow's KGB successor, the Federal Security Service (FSB) accused the Ukrainian military intelligence of organizing the attack. The bridge connects Crimea, the territory that was transferred from Soviet Russia to Soviet Ukraine in 1954 by then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev as a "gift" and was later recognised by Russia in 1994 after the collapse of the USSR. The bridge was constructed by Putin's ally Arkady Rotenberg's firm. As the reconstruction work is ongoing Russian government indicated that the Crimean Bridge will be rebuilt by no later than 1 July 2023.