Crimea bridge blast: Moscow arrests eight suspects – Russians, Ukrainians and Armenians

Russian, Ukrainian and Armenian
Moscow informs of arrest after explosion on Crimean bridge

10/12/2022, 1:50 pm

Over the weekend, the Crimea Bridge near Kerch was badly damaged by an explosion. The Kremlin blames Kyiv for this. There are now eight people in the Russian Secret Service who are said to be linked to the crime.

According to officials, eight people have been arrested in the blast on the Crimea Bridge, a strategically important for Russia. “To date, five Russian citizens and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia have been arrested in connection with the criminal proceedings,” said the press service of the Russian secret service FSB, according to the Interfax news agency. The FSB reported that the attack was organized by the Ukrainian military intelligence service. Its owner Kyrlo Budanov has been named as the organizer.

On Saturday morning, an explosion rocked a 19-kilometer bridge connecting Russia and Crimea’s Black Sea peninsula, which was occupied by Moscow in 2014. About seven and a half months after the start of the Russian offensive against Ukraine, the building, which is strategically and symbolically important to Russia, was severely damaged. According to official information from Moscow, four people died.

A day later, President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of carrying out a terroristic attack. Since the beginning of the week, Russia has been carrying out massive bombings of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. It is believed to be a reaction to the explosion on the bridge. The Ukrainian side celebrated the destruction of the bridge, but did not officially accept responsibility for the alleged attack.