Putin blames Ukraine for ‘terrorist attack’ on Crimea bridge [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• An explosion on Oct. 8 caused a fire at the Kerch bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for the explosion and called it a “terrorist attack.”
• Ukrainian adviser Mykhailo Podolyak pointed to Russia’s missile strikes on civilian residences and said it was clear which is the terrorist state.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of conducting a terrorist attack that caused an explosion and fire on the bridge linking Crimea to Russia.

Per Reuters‘ translation, Putin told Russia’s Investigative Committee chairman, Alexander Bastrykin, “There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure. This was devised, carried out, and ordered by the Ukrainian special services.”

Bastrykin also suggested that citizens of Russia and other counties were involved in the attack.

He relayed information from Russian authorities, who tracked the explosive truck’s route along several countries that included Georgia, Armenia, Bulgaria, North Ossetia, and Krasnodar in southern Russia.

Bastrykin said that he had launched a criminal investigation that will look into the incident as a terrorist act.

On Saturday, Ukrainian officials acknowledged the explosion but did not claim responsibility for the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, responded to the accusations on Twitter.

Podolyak wrote, “Putin accuses Ukraine of terrorism? Sounds too cynical even for Russia.” He then pointed to Russia’s deadly missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia apartments over the weekend. He concluded, “There is only one terrorist state here and the whole world knows who it is.”

The Kerch bridge has served as a critical supply route for Russian troops in Ukraine. It has also been a symbol of Putin’s claim to the Crimean Peninsula.

Following the bridge’s explosion, Russian authorities rushed to reestablish supply lines to Crimea.

The British Ministry of Defense noted that the attack on the bridge could personally affect Putin since it occurred “hours after his 70th birthday.” They added, “He personally sponsored and opened the bridge, and its construction contractor was his childhood friend, Arkady Rotenberg.”

Viktor Zolatov, Putin’s former bodyguard and now Russian National Guard commander, had also been assuring the public of the bridge’s security in recent months.

Putin is scheduled to meet with his national security council this Monday.

Source: Axios