Putin visits the frontline in Ukraine in a first

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday visited the bridge that links his country to annexed Crimea. This is the first time he is visiting the frontline in Ukraine since the war started on February 24.

Images on state television showed that Putin drove a Mercedes across the Kerch bridge. The vital link between the Russian mainland and the annexed region was hit in a blast in October. Moscow blamed it on Ukraine. It has now reopened to traffic, reported AFP.

Putin also heard a report on repair work on the bridge from Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin and spoke to construction workers.

Russia has been attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure for weeks which has caused power outages in 507 villages. Putin on Friday said the attacks are Moscow's "inevitable" response to Ukraine's strike on Russian infrastructure including the Kerch bridge.

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