Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't visited the front lines of the war in Ukraine since it began nine months ago. The man is getting closer.
The bridge that Putin drove across on Monday was destroyed in a fire a few months ago. The conflict has cost the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian troops, as well as many civilians.
According to the Associated Press, the Russian leader spoke with people involved in the repair of the bridge, which was damaged by a truck bomb in October. According to Agence France-Presse, Putin visited as the bridge re-opened to traffic.
There are videos on social media that show Putin driving a Mercedes car with an unknown passenger in the seat next to him. The Russian leader walked on the bridge. The imagery was not immediately verified by Insider.
Several people were killed when an explosion ripped through the bridge just one day after Putin's birthday. The blast caused a section of the lane to collapse and also damaged the bridge.
Ukraine did not take responsibility for the incident. The bridge, which is the longest in Europe, was built after Putin took control of the peninsula and was praised by the Russian leader and his state media. The bridge was used by Russian troops during the war.
It was Putin's first known appearance to a location close to the war that he started in February. Not only has he kept his distance from the war, but he has also kept war-related engagements at a distance on the domestic front, often meeting with world leaders at very long tables.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited communities along the war's front lines many times.
The Kherson region just north of the occupied peninsula is being gambled on by Russian forces. Satellite images show that Russia has fortified positions along critical ground lines of communication, instead of focusing on open territory, as it tries to hold on to its territory in the face of the Ukrainians.
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