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Kerch Strait bridge opened in annexed Crimea
Summary
A look back at the opening of the road section of a 19-kilometre bridge linking Russia with the peninsula it annexed from Ukraine.
What did it mean when a road bridge across the Kerch Strait opened on 15 May 2018? Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the road part of the 19-kilometre (12 mi) road-and-rail Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Crimea with Russia.
The opening took place in annexed Crimea, as Ukrainian-language reports noted at the time. The bridge therefore tied Russia directly to a peninsula it had taken from Ukraine.
The setting
Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine in February and March 2014, occupied it, and then annexed it after an illegitimate referendum. This came amid the uncertainty that immediately followed Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity. The invasion marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The annexation has been described as the first time since World War II that a European country annexed part of another. Some analysts see it as the start of a Second Cold War between Russia and the West.
Seen from 2026, the bridge opening of 15 May 2018 was a further step in how Russia connected itself to the territory it had annexed. The ceremony covered the road section only; the rail part of the structure was described as part of the same crossing.
