Russia's Putin, in home straight of election campaign, visits Crimea

Russian President Vladimir Putin inspects the completed road section of the Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait, Crimea, March 14, 2018. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via Reuters

THE KERCH STRAIT/SEVASTOPOL, Crimea (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Crimea on Wednesday, touting his annexation of the peninsula to voters days before an election all but guaranteed to deliver him a second consecutive term in power.

Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine drew international condemnation and sanctions, but many Russians saw it as restoring Moscow's rule over a region they regard as being historically Russian.