Putin Drives Across Crimea Bridge, Showing Commitment to Ukraine Conquest

Russian President Vladimir Putin drove a Mercedes across the bridge connecting Russia to Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula on December 5 in a demonstration of his unwavering resolve to bring Ukraine under his control.

• Putin illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014.
• He contracted and personally opened the road-and-rail bridge in 2018.
• The 12-mile bridge, Europe’s longest, is branded by Russian media as the “construction project of the century” and the “jewel in the crown” of Putin’s accomplishments.
• Ukraine has long vowed to retake Crimea, which depends heavily on the bridge for supplies.
• On October 8, the bridge was damaged in an explosion that Russia blamed on Ukraine.
• Ukrainian officials maintain that Russian forces must be expelled from every part of their nation, including Crimea.

With the highly publicized drive across the bridge, Putin showed the world that traffic can still cross the bridge and that Russia remains undeterred in its campaign to conquer Ukraine.

We are driving on the right-hand side. The left side of the bridge, as I understand it, is in working condition, but nevertheless it needs to be completed. It still suffered a little, we need to bring it to an ideal state.
—Vladimir Putin

Putin was also filmed walking along a section of the bridge, examining the area that remains visibly scorched.

https://twitter.com/PierreDBorrelli/status/1578604944415809536

https://twitter.com/silent120786/status/1599864557887160320

Putin’s options: The Russian military has floundered so far in its efforts to conquer Ukraine, but Putin cannot afford to lose the war. His drive across the bridge demonstrates that he remains fully committed to taking over Russia’s neighbor. And several factors could turn the tide in Russia’s favor.

1. Putin could declare full-scale war, whereas up until now he has operated mainly within the legal framework of a “limited military operation.”

• Such a declaration would authorize a national draft and mass mobilization of potentially millions of additional soldiers.
• Russia’s economy would be put on a wartime footing, meaning more Russian industry could be channeled toward the war effort.

2. Russia could possibly convince China to step in.

• Until now, China has provided indirect support, economically and politically.
• If Xi Jinping began sending People’s Liberation Army forces into Ukraine or supplying weaponry, the tide could quickly turn in Russia’s favor.

3. Russia could also use weapons of mass destruction, including chemical or nuclear weapons, which Ukraine does not possess.

The Trumpet said: Editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote on February 25 about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, stating: “I have been warning for more than two decades that Vladimir Putin would be responsible for violent conquests and that he would set in motion some astonishing and historic events.” Mr. Flurry explained that his warning about Putin’s Russia is founded on his understanding of the Bible:

Ezekiel 38 is an especially important passage about Russia. … This whole chapter contains staggering understanding about the powerful Russian empire and its widely feared “prince.” …

I strongly believe this “chief prince” is Vladimir Putin, and I have explained why many times over the past 20 years. The alarming and sobering scenes coming out of Ukraine today dramatically prove that this understanding is right. Bible prophecy is being fulfilled this very moment in Ukraine!

Learn more: To understand Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the prophetic context, read Mr. Flurry’s booklet The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia.’