KYIV. Nov 20 (Interfax) - The bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska, which was rebuilt after its destruction in shell attacks, has been reopened ahead of schedule, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We have reopened the bridge we promised [to open] in Stanytsia Luhanska. It is already completely ready today, several days before the scheduled date. Why wait? The talks on it continued for so long that at some point an agreement seemed like a miracle. We succeeded in doing it. Every time I arrived, people were asking for the bridge most of all. I'm anticipating any manipulations straight away, as a tank will be unable to move there, because the bridge is too narrow for that. But an ambulance can easily move across it, food products can be delivered, and no majorly strenuous efforts are needed just to cross from one side to the other," Zelensky wrote on Facebook following his visit to Stanytsia Luhanska on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) Vladislav Deinego later confirmed the reopening of the bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska, at the same time, criticizing the Ukrainian side. "Literally within an hour following Zelensky's statement that the bridge will be opened in two days, workers came to the bridge, removed the fence, which has blocked the passage. Therefore, people now can go straight forward, using this temporary structure, which was built by Ukrainian combatants at the place of the bridge span blasted in 2015," Deinego told reporters on Wednesday.
However, "thanks God, there is a result, as the reasonable approach triumphed," he added. "The structure, which can be used already today, was opened for use," Deinego said.