Russian President Vladimir Putin tonight blamed the Ukrainian secret services for Saturday morning’s powerful explosion on the bridge connecting Russia with the Crimean peninsula, calling it a “terrorist” act.
“The perpetrators, perpetrators and principals are the Ukrainian secret services,” Putin said in a meeting with the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Russian news agencies reported.
“The’re is no doubt. This is a terrorist act aimed at destroying a critical political infrastructure,” he said, according to a video posted on the Kremlin’s Telegram account.
Putin met with Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Investigative Committee, who presented him with the conclusion of the investigation conducted into the explosion and fire on the bridge.
Moscow has so far not directly blamed Kyiv for the truck bombing that killed three people.
“It is a terrorist act planned by the secret services of Ukraine. The goal was to destroy a large political infrastructure, very important for Russia,” Bastrykin said at this meeting.
The bridge, inaugurated by Putin himself in 2018, is also used to resupply Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
Putin’s first reaction will likely come on Monday when he has convened Russia’s Security Council to discuss the Crimean bridge attack.
How the Russian president will “respond” is the question, with many Moscow officials seeking revenge for the bridge disasters and calling for all-out war against Ukraine.
However, Ukraine, although it initially hinted that it was behind the attack on the Kerch bridge due to their celebrations, did not take responsibility, instead it spoke of a Russian “civil war” and an internal enemy of Russia, as the culprit of the attack.
However, the situation changed after the official announcement of Russian President Putin on Sunday evening, and all eyes are on tomorrow’s meeting of the Security Council of Russia.
