In a video published in early December and broadcast by Russian media, Vladimir Putin appeared on the road to the Crimean Bridge which had been destroyed on October 8 in an explosion.
These are images that could serve as propaganda, taken up by Russian television and accompanied by a press release. A video showing Vladimir Poutine driving his car accompanied by his Deputy Prime Minister on the Crimean Bridge was broadcast, three months after the explosion of this bridge in the midst of armed conflict with Ukraine.
The Russian President’s first visit to the annexed peninsula
For his first visit to the peninsula annexed to Russia since the Ukrainian armed conflict, Vladimir Poutine wished to go to the Crimean bridge by car,which connects Ukraine with Russia. For this trip, the Russian President was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khousnulline, which can be seen in the images of the video released by Russian media. On October 8, the viaduct was hit by an explosion that killed three people, that the Kremlin had assigned to the Ukrainian forces, according to our colleagues from BFMTV. This explosion had created a shock wave in Russia, given the remoteness of the front of this viaduct, and its importance in the Ukrainian conflict which has now lasted ten months.
A statement from the Kremlin explained the purpose of this visit by the Russian President “Vladimir Putin drove on the road to the Crimean Bridge, which was repaired after the explosion in October, and spoke with workers” before adding that the Deputy Prime Minister “reported to the Head of State on the progress of the repair work”. According to BFMTV, the explosion of the Crimean bridge can be considered as a “snub” by the Kremlin, in a dragging conflict, a Ukrainian resistance which seems solid and a Russian President who according to certain commentators is already preparing his estate. In a December 21 television interview, Vladimir Putin felt that the Russian military “moving in the right direction” in Ukraine. “We protect our national interests, the interests of our citizens, of our people” explained the Russian president, while the talks between kyiv and Moscow have been at a standstill since March.