Russia's Putin drives truck to open bridge link with annexed Crimea

Russian President Vladimir Putin drives a Kamaz truck during a ceremony opening a bridge, which was constructed to connect the Russian mainland with the Crimean Peninsula across the Kerch Strait, May 15, 2018. Alexander Nemenov/Pool via REUTERS

THE KERCH STRAIT (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, driving a truck, unveiled the auto section of a new road-and-rail bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula on Tuesday, defying Ukraine which said the move showed cynical disregard for international law.

Putin, at the wheel of a heavy KAMAZ truck, drove the full 19 km (12 miles) across the bridge from the Kerch Strait, which some Russians call "Putin's bridge" and which is designed to link Crimea into Russia's transport network.