Russia arrest 8 suspects over Crimea bridge attack

Russia’s Federal Security Services detained eight people on Wednesday in connection with the explosion that damaged the Crimea Bridge last week.

The FSB has claimed that the attack was organised by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s main intelligence department. At the moment, five citizens of Russia and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia, who participated in the preparation of the crime, have been detained as part of a criminal case.

A truck exploded on the road bridge on Saturday, causing seven fuel tanks of a train heading to the Crimean Peninsula to catch fire. Three people were killed in the blast, which also led to the partial collapse of two spans of the road bridge, according to media reports. 
“An object believed to be a fuel storage tank has caught fire on the Crimean Bridge, but the viaduct’s navigable arches sustained no damage,” an aide to the head of Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, was quoted as saying.

The FSB report further said that the explosive device, weighing nearly 23 metric tons, was hidden in the polyethylene construction firm. It further added that the explosive devices were sent from the Ukrainian port of Odesa in early August through countries including Bulgaria, Georgia, and Armenia.

Putin had instructed the Prime Minister to set up a government commission to investigate the incident and eliminate its aftermath as soon as possible.

The 19-kilometre bridge, which runs across the Kerch Strait and connects Crimea with mainland Russia, consists of a railway and vehicle sections. It became fully operational in 2020.