Europe's longest bridge connecting Russia to Crimea a political symbol
The project could complicate efforts to rapprochement between Russia and Ukraine following a recent face-to-face meeting between the two leaders.
Russia on December 23 officially inaugurated and put into operation the Crimean railway bridge across the Kerch Strait - connecting the Taman Peninsula in Russia's Krasnodar region to the Kerche Peninsula in Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also the first passenger to travel on the train connecting Russia to Crimea - a project that could complicate efforts to bring closer relations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine after a direct meeting between the two leaders recently.
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| Image of the railway bridge connecting Crimea with Russia during construction. Photo: Structurae |
Present at the wheelhouse of the ship leading to the Crimean peninsula in front of a large crowd, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that this is a major event, proving that "with its talent, perseverance and determination, Russia can implement world-class infrastructure projects, because this is the longest bridge (19 km) not only in Russia but also in Europe.
“Russia can use domestic technology to implement large-scale projects. It is no exaggeration to say that the work we have done has inspired confidence that all of us are capable of doing such large projects and will do others in the future,” President Putin affirmed.
The Kerch Strait Bridge is Russia’s most ambitious project, and the only land connection between the country and the Crimean peninsula. The bridge consists of a road and a railway running parallel to each other, with the latter inaugurated by President Putin in May last year. Putin announced that about 14 million people and 13 million tons of cargo will cross the Crimean Bridge by rail in 2020.
The inauguration of the longest bridge in Europe, in addition to meeting the infrastructure needs for traffic connection, is also considered a political symbol after the Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014. It is worth noting that the inauguration ceremony took place after the leaders of Russia and Ukraine had just had their first direct meeting in Paris, agreeing on a number of measures to reduce tensions in the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly affirmed that he will not make concessions on the issue of territorial sovereignty.
“I would like to state some principles that I will never violate as President of Ukraine and that I think the Ukrainian people will never agree with. Among them is that there will be no compromise on a solution to the situation in eastern Ukraine, on the terms of territorial concessions within the framework of internationally recognized borders,” Zelensky said.
Therefore, immediately after Russia inaugurated the bridge connecting Crimea, it was criticized by Ukraine and the European Union. The representative of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the railway line and President Putin's visit to Crimea were a step that violated Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The European Union had previously banned European citizens and companies from investing in Crimea, including infrastructure and transport projects on the peninsula, making it difficult to build the bridge.
The European Union has repeatedly criticized Russia's annexation of Crimea, which has triggered the most serious diplomatic crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War and led to a series of sanctions against Russia. The EU this month extended economic sanctions against Russia for another six months.