A section of Russia’s Crimean Bridge, which was destroyed in the fall by an explosion attributed to Ukraine, was reopened today, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister said on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s attack on the neighboring country.

The explosion of a truck bomb in early October at this site, which symbolizes to the Kremlin its power and annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, was a humiliation for Russia, although the Ukrainian authorities still deny that they attacked the bridge.

“The automotive part of the Crimean bridge has been completely restored,” Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusmulin wrote in the Telegram messenger.

Workers worked around the clock to complete the work in 4.5 months, he said, completing the facility “39 days ahead of schedule,” a “great gift” he called the defenders of the Fatherland on Russia’s Independence Day celebration today.

Work continues on the railway section of the bridge, and it will not open until the summer.

The explosion on the Crimean bridge, which claimed the lives of three people, shocked Russia: the fact that such an important and, moreover, remote infrastructure could be destroyed was a serious “slap in the face” for Moscow.

Built by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin to connect the annexed peninsula with Russian territory, this expensive concrete bridge is mainly used to transport military equipment for the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.

Source: AFP, APE-MPE.