It was Putin’s first visit to the annexed Ukrainian peninsula since the start of the Russian military offensive on February 24. “Vladimir Putin drove over the Crimean bridge, which was being repaired after the explosion in October,” the Kremlin said. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Chusnullin informed the head of state about the progress of work on repairing the passenger seat.
“We are driving on the right side,” Putin said in the footage. “The left side of the bridge is operational as far as I know, but it’s not finished yet,” the president said. “It still suffered a little, we have to leave it in ideal conditions.” Putin also walked over parts of the bridge to inspect sections where damage from the blast is still visible.
APA/AFP/Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel Putin during visit
Explosion just after Putin’s birthday
The 19-kilometer bridge is considered a flagship infrastructure project: Putin himself provided some of the funding and personally opened the bridge in 2018, the contractor being his childhood friend Arkadi Rotenberg. And the explosion occurred just hours after Putin’s 70th birthday on Oct. The visit is also likely a signal to the people of Crimea: after explosions took place at military bases there, many people, especially Russians, fled the peninsula. Now that the situation is safe again, the car ride should probably mediate.
More recently, Putin has also described Russia’s bombing of Ukraine’s infrastructure as Moscow’s “inevitable” response to attacks on Ukraine – and expressly mentioned the Crimean Bridge.
Again Russian missiles in Ukraine
Russia launched another heavy missile strike against Ukraine on Monday. Ukrainian officials said on Monday that 60 of the 70 rockets fired had been intercepted. In the southern region of Zaporizhia, however, two people were killed by the shelling, officials said. Several houses were destroyed there. In the northern region of Sumy, power went out after a rocket impact, as explained by a power supplier. Air alert was sounded across Ukraine. The population was invited to go to shelters.
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UNHCR expects more internally displaced people
According to the information, air defense has also been deployed in Kyiv. Nine of the 10 missiles were intercepted there, officials said. The capital of around three million inhabitants was therefore apparently spared serious damage. However, the Kyiv region governor said 40% of residents in the region were left without electricity after unspecified infrastructure was hit.
UN Human Rights Commissioner at Shelter
UN human rights commissioner Volker Türk, who has just visited Kyiv, wrote on the Twitter short message service that he had to continue a meeting in a shelter. “It is unbelievable that this happens almost every day in Kyiv,” he said.
Human rights defenders meet in an underground shelter in Kyiv as missiles strike and air raid sirens sound again. Unbelievable that this is happening almost daily in #Ukraine🇧🇷 This must not become a new normal. pic.twitter.com/My22JGkOWO
— Volker Turk (@volker_turk) December 5, 2022
More recently, Russia repeatedly attacked power and water supplies in Ukraine with rockets after Russian ground troops had to withdraw from some occupied areas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported in a video that repairs to the damage had already begun. At the same time, he assured: “Our people never give up.” After military setbacks, Moscow has fired rockets at Ukraine’s power infrastructure eight times since October. Large parts of the country only have hourly electricity.
Explosions at Russian military bases
The new rocket attacks against the neighboring country were preceded by explosions at two air bases in Russia overnight, both hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine. One, the Engels base in the Saratov region, about 730 km south of Moscow, houses bombers belonging to Russia’s strategic nuclear forces. Three people were killed when a fuel truck exploded at Ryazan airbase, 185 km (115 miles) southeast of Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA reported.
Russia blamed Ukraine for the attacks. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow stated late on Monday: “On the morning of December 5, the Kiev regime attempted to attack the airfields of Diagilyevo in the Ryazan region and Engels in the Saratov region with reactive drones from Soviet-made, in order to disable long-standing Russians. -haul aircraft.” Previously, Kyiv had already indicated participation.
Parts of Russian missiles found in Moldova
Meanwhile, the government of the former Soviet Republic of Moldova has expressed reservations about a part of the rocket found on its own territory near the Ukrainian border. “I have been informed that border guards have found part of a rocket near Briceni,” Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita was quoted as saying on Monday, according to local media. The site area, just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has been cordoned off. The incident is being investigated by authorities.