Eight suspects have been arrested in connection with the explosion that partially destroyed the bridge connecting Crimea with Russia, killing four. The detainees are citizens of Russian, Ukrainian and Armenian nationality.
According to a statement from the Russian security services, quoted by the AFP news agency, the “terrorist attack” was organized by the Ukrainian secret services.
The explosives are said to have been concealed in “rolls of plastic film”, shipped in August from the port of Odessa, Ukraine, and transited through Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia, before entering Russia.
The Russian president accused the Ukrainian secret services of being behind the explosion that damaged the bridge. Vladimir Putin called the incident a “terrorist act”.
The Crimean Bridge, built at great expense and opened in 2018 by Vladimir Putin, is also used for logistical transportation of Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
The 19-kilometre-long structure includes a rail transport lane and a highway.
The alternative route to the bridge is 359 kilometers long, 180 of which are being repaired by the Russian Ministry of Transport.
One of the goals of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine was to secure a land corridor between Russian territory and the peninsula, which relies on grain, water and electricity from southern Ukraine.
The truck, which exploded in the early hours of Saturday, caused a fire in six fuel tanks of a tank car train and caused the collapse of two sections of the road part of the bridge, in addition to the 1.3 kilometers of track iron damaged.
The Kerch Bridge, declared a military objective by kyiv, was inaugurated in 2018 by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In retaliation for the bridge explosion, Putin ordered the launch of dozens of missiles on several cities from north to south of Ukraine, including kyiv.
As a result of these Russian attacks, at least 19 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of more than 13 million people -more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.5 million to European countries-, according to the latest data from the UN, which places this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing them on Russia. political and economic sanctions.
Source: TSF
