What the Kerch Strait Bridge meant for Crimea in May 2018
A look back at the opening of the road section of the bridge in annexed Crimea, and at a sporting win for Ukraine reported the same week.
What did the opening of a bridge say about the status of Crimea? On 21 May 2018, the question was still fresh. Six days earlier, on 15 May 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin had opened the road section of the Kerch Strait Bridge, a road-and-rail crossing 19 kilometres (12 miles) long that connects Crimea with Russia.
Reports at the time placed the opening in annexed Crimea. The bridge links the peninsula directly to Russia across the strait, and it was the Russian Federation that built and opened it.
The annexation behind the bridge
The peninsula had been under Russian control since early 2014. In February and March of that year, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, occupied it and then annexed it after an illegitimate referendum. This took place amid the uncertainty that followed Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity. That invasion marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Crimea's annexation has since been described as an instance of modern Russian imperialism.
A different headline from Rome
The same week brought quite different news for Ukrainian audiences. On 20 May 2018, Elina Svitolina won the WTA Premier tournament in Rome, beating world number one Simona Halep in the final. The victory set a national record for the number of tournaments won.
The two stories sat side by side in the news cycle: a bridge opened by Russia in annexed Crimea on 15 May 2018, and a Ukrainian tennis player's record-setting title on 20 May 2018.
