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Crimea, previously an autonomous republic within Ukraine with a Russian ethnic majority, signed a reunification treaty with Moscow on Tuesday following a referendum Sunday in which some 96.7 percent of voters backed joining Russia after 60 years as part of Ukraine. Putin said the bridge over the Kerch Strait, connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, should be suitable for both road and rail traffic. The idea to build a bridge that would span the 4.5-kilometer strait has been under discussion for a decade. Moscow and Kiev eventually came to an agreement last December. Related links: • Agreement on the accession of Crimea to Russia signed - 18 March 2014 • Admission of Crimea into Russian Federation - 18 March 2014 |