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Putin Says He Needs Someone to Hang If Crimea Link Not Built

  • President complains nobody wants to be responsible for project
  • Link from Crimea to Russia is `historical mission,' Putin says
Vladimir Putin meets with construction workers on the construction site of a bridge across the Strait of Kerch, on March 18. The Russian government plans to build a bridge linking mainland Russia to Crimea.

Vladimir Putin meets with construction workers on the construction site of a bridge across the Strait of Kerch, on March 18. The Russian government plans to build a bridge linking mainland Russia to Crimea.

Photographer: Metzel Mikhail/TASS via ZUMA Press
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President Vladimir Putin said he wants to identify an official who can be hanged if a road leading to a new bridge that will link Crimea to Russia isn’t built, as he complained that nobody wants to take charge of the project.

“There should be a specific person who can be hanged if it’s not done,” Putin said during a visit to Crimea to view construction work on Friday, the second anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine. Officials keep passing responsibility for the work to colleagues in different ministries, he said.