Russians queue in traffic for hours to get to Crimean holiday hotspots
Oh we don't like to be beside the seaside! Russians queue in traffic for hours to get to Crimean holiday hotspots as guards search every car for explosives as Putin fears new Ukrainian attack in £3billion bridge
- Tourists are flocking to the Black Sea peninsula but every car is being searched
- A bomb blast caused major damage to the Kerch Strait crossing in October
Russian fears over a deadly new bomb attack on a giant £3 billion bridge linking annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland triggered massive traffic jams today.
Tourists are flocking to the occupied Black Sea peninsula but every vehicle is being scrupulously searched for explosives.
A bomb blast in October on a truck crossing the bridge caused major damage to the Kerch Strait crossing which has since been repaired.
Yet Russian officials remain paranoid over a new attack on the ten miles crossing built as a vanity project by Vladimir Putin[2].
The queue stretched back six miles today with seven hour waiting times amid scenes of chaos at the crossing during the war against Ukraine.
Russian fears over a deadly new bomb attack on a giant £3 billion bridge linking annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland triggered massive traffic jams today (pictured)
Tourists are flocking to the occupied Black Sea peninsula but every vehicle is being scrupulously searched for explosives
A bomb blast in October on a truck crossing the bridge caused major damage to the Kerch Strait crossing which has since been repaired
The Putin-appointed official in charge of transport in Crimea Nikolai Lukashenko said: 'Staff numbers on the inspection lines have been increased and control over their work has been strengthened.
'We apologise to citizens for the inconvenience.'
'One angry waiting tourist said: 'The situation is a nightmare. We didn't sleep at night….
'We are practically without water, food, and we have two small children….
'The system is completely dysfunctional.'
Another complained: 'We stood for three hours without moving.'
Many Russians cannot travel to Mediterranean destinations this summer because of visa curbs and Western sanctions due to Putin's war against Ukraine.
They are flocking to Crimea instead - even though it is potentially a war target.
Russian officials remain paranoid over a new attack on the ten miles crossing (pictured) built as a vanity project by Vladimir Putin
Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia
The blast ripped through the road and rail bridge which connects Crimea to Russia, killing three people, causing damage and igniting a huge fire. Pictured: The bridge on fire after the explosion on October 8
The explosion wrecked one section of the road bridge, temporarily halting traffic
The Russian rouble has also plummeted due to Putin's war making foreign travel out of reach for millions, leading them to risk summer vacations in the region.
Crimea is now in range of UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, but tourists are still surging to the stunning peninsula.
This is despite many beaches being dug with trenches in case Ukraine mounts a counteroffensive to grab back its territory.
Reports also suggest some beaches have been mined by the Russians in the traditional summer season vacation playground.
The 12-mile road and rail bridge, which was personally opened by Putin in 2018, was bombed on October 8 in an attack Russia said was carried out by Ukraine.
It had become logistically vital to Putin's military campaign, with supplies to Russian troops fighting in south Ukraine channelled through it.
Putin has been warned the Ukrainians could try and destroy it beyond repair.
Knocking the bridge out for six months could make it harder for Putin to cling onto Crimea which he annexed in 2014, he has been warned.
The bridge is important for Moscow, a vital transport link for moving military equipment to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Pictured: Workers restore the railway tracks on the Kerch bridge after the explosion
Pictured: Repair works are carried out on the Kerch bridge on November 19
Some 1,214 tonnes of metal structures were assembled to repair the bridge, with 500 workers including divers deployed around the clock.
Ukraine never claimed responsibility for the bombing of the bridge on the morning of Oct. 8, a day after Putin's 70th birthday. Russia's Federal Security Service said the attack was organised by Ukrainian military intelligence.
The explosion wrecked one section of the road bridge, temporarily halting traffic across the Kerch Strait.
The blast also destroyed several fuel tankers on a train heading towards the annexed Crimean peninsula from neighbouring southern Russia.
The bridge opened four years after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, serving as a symbol of Moscow's regional dominance as well as a crucial route for getting military supplies to Ukraine and Russian travellers to a popular vacation destination.
References
- ^ Will Stewart (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Putin (www.dailymail.co.uk)