Photo Gallery: Putin Set To Unveil Massive Bridge Linking Crimea To Russia (click to view)
Russian President Vladmir Putin is due on May 15 to officially unveil a 19-kilometer-long road bridge linking the annexed Crimean Peninsula with Russian territories across the Kerch Strait. Construction of the bridge, which can carry up to 40,000 cars a day, started in 2016. It was originally expected to open in December but was finished ahead of schedule. A railway bridge is due to be completed by the end of 2019.
Ukraine has condemned the project, which cost 228 billion rubles ($3.7 billion). Sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States have targeted those involved in the bridge, including businessman Arkady Rotenberg, a close Putin ally whose company won the construction contract. The bridge surpasses the Vasco de Gama bridge in Portugal as the longest in Europe.
This ends our live blogging for May 14. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.