- 60 Minutes, the most essential news. And we're beginning with a statement that's against all common sense. The Crimea Bridge is a prop, there's no car traffic on it, and the pillars are drifting around in the notorious Kerch Strait together with the tectonic plates. Ukraine is hysterical (one would think it could've calmed down by this time) because we're opening the pride of Russia, the beautiful Crimea Bridge. They seem to be going to keep crying about that.
- I traveled across the bridge last year. It's a great structure. But as you can see, the Ukrainian media doesn't think so. The headline says, "Hasn't Yet Collapsed." Scientists and even psychics keep reading coffee grounds making predictions about the indestructibility of our project of the century.
Let's listen to those vile prophets.
Roman Bessmertny, politician (Ukraine): "There will be no bridge there. No bridge. They'll keep hammering those pillars for a couple of decades. And we believe in that fairytale. The answer is obvious. Why wasn't it built earlier? Because it can't be built there".
Ukraine has been trying to build the bridge since Kuchma was the president, throughout the terms of Yushchenko and Yanukovych. Each time, experts concluded that it couldn't be built there.
Roman Bessmertny: "During Yanukovych's term, a serious group was considering implementing this project. It concluded that it can be built but it wouldn't be stable and thus unfit for traffic".
The bridge was ultimately built. However, experts doubt that its durability was tested correctly. Here's footage from 1976, showing the launching of the Northern Bridge in Kiev. The crossing is jammed with trucks loaded with gravel. The Crimea Bridge was opened with only a couple dozens of trucks. In the end, trucks aren't allowed to cross the bridge. The seismicity of the Kerch Strait is 10 points. It means that the bridge will collapse after a while and surely won't stand for 100 years.
Pyotr Koval, bridge expert: "If there's an earthquake similar to the one that happened in Yalta in 1927 the bridge will hardly withstand it".
Vadim Chernysh, Minister of Temporarily Occupied Territories: "I'm sure that the statements of those who were building the bridge regarding its durability and its ability to withstand an earthquake were false bravado. Many experts have proved them wrong. In reality, the structure of the bridge is different from how the Russians describe it. It's already beginning to shift in its static state without any earthquake".
- This man... He's a minister, right? He's a government official, right? A top ranking official, an A-class official, as we call them. A senior politician. Why is he lying to you?
Gordey Belov, social activist (Ukraine): Well, you know what, Eugeny? I've repeatedly expressed my attitude towards the Crimea Bridge and everything else you're building in Crimea. I support your every initiative and the majority of Ukraine agrees with me because we'll get everything you will have built so keep an eye on that bridge and don't let it collapse. My position is pretty clear. Keep an eye on that bridge.
- You're joking but you're not laughing.
- I'm not joking. I'm being serious.
- I'm the one who's joking.
- Anyway, whatever happens there people put their effort into building it and it'll come in handy. So keep an eye on that bridge, please. That's what I think.
- So you've got nothing to say.
- How long will this horror last? Is Ukraine jealous? How are we supposed to treat that?
Oleg Morozov, Federation Council senator: It's a method from the psychological warfare textbook. One must always aim to persuade create an illusion of an imminent catastrophe in the minds of their enemies. It weakens their spirit and resistance. One must convince them that something will happen tomorrow the sky will collapse tomorrow the bridge will collapse and so on. There's only one problem. The thing is that this attack against the bridge was delivered too early. It was initiated when the bridge was just a project. When we first announced that we were going to build the Crimea Bridge, we were told that we couldn't build it there. The currents were wrong, the wind blew in the wrong direction, and the seismic activity wouldn't let us build anything there. When we started the construction, they were telling us we wouldn’t meet the deadline. And when we did, they started telling us the following…
- It was built ahead of schedule.
- Right, ahead of schedule. Now, they're telling us (that A) it's going to collapse (and B) it belongs to them if it doesn't. Well... That's why I believe that their ill prophecies failed to impress both sides of the conflict. The bridge is there and it's fully operational. I believe that the engineers who designed it perfectly realized what they were doing. For me personally, the opening of the bridge was the main event of the previous year. And I'll tell you why. It's not a matter of technology. It's a political accomplishment, we did it under the sanctions. It's a matter of our political will. It's a matter of our unity with Crimea. Crimea is ours. It's not just a bridge, it's a symbol.
- Let's travel to Crimea. We have Nikolay Dolgachov with us live. He's not just our special reporter.
- He's not just our friend, comrade, and colleague.
- He's also the chair of the public council on the construction of the Crimea Bridge. Please, tell us, Nikolay did you miss something? What's going on there? We were slightly disturbed by "hasn't yet collapsed but there's no traffic".
