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Rail link to Crimea and a Nord Stream 2 setback
Summary
Two developments tied to Russia's relations with Europe and Ukraine's neighbourhood marked the days around 23 December 2019.
What did the final days before Christmas 2019 bring for Russia's infrastructure ambitions? On 23 December 2019, the construction of the bridge across the Kerch Strait was completed, and a railway connecting Russia with Crimea, which it occupies, was put into operation.
Two days earlier, on 21 December 2019, a separate project ran into trouble. A contractor suspended pipe-laying work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is intended to carry Russian gas to Europe, citing U.S. sanctions. Nord Stream 2 responded that it would finish construction "as soon as possible".
Two projects, one week
The two reports describe different outcomes for Russian-backed projects. The rail link to occupied Crimea was declared finished and in service, while the gas pipeline faced a halt in offshore work after the contractor's decision.
The pipeline operator's statement made clear that it intended to complete the project despite the suspension.
