"Last year we took the decision and the entire year was spent solely on producing the design and estimate documentation, but the Crimean head is not the one to blame, there is common work supported by Moscow’s ministries… If you need support of other Moscow’s structures, let’s do this, let's push to make all this happen faster," Putin said.
Putin previously visited Kerch in mid-September, 2016.
In early February, Aksenov said that 1.2 billion rubles ($20.1 million) had been allocated to fund the reconstruction of the Great Mithridates Stairs. Aksenov also noted later in the month that reconstruction of six landmark cultural heritage objects, including the Great Mithridates Stairs, had been scheduled for 2017.
The Great Mithridates Staircase was built in the first half of the 19th century to lead to the top of Mount Mithridat. Both were named after Mithridates VI of Pontus, the ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus that fought against the Roman Empire.
