As the Russians like to say, "It is no accident" that he chose today – marking the second anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea three weeks after the U.S.-sponsored coup in Kiev on Feb. 22, 2014, and just days after a referendum in which Crimean voters approved leaving Ukraine and rejoining Russia by a 96 percent majority.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses a crowd on May 9, 2014, celebrating the 69th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Crimean port city of Sevastopol from the Nazis. (Russian government photo)

The 12-mile bridge is a concrete metaphor, so to speak, for the rejoining of Crimea and Russia. When completed (the target is December 2018), it will be the longest bridge in Russia.