Ukraine responds after Russia casts blame for bridge explosion

Ukraine is denying responsibility for a deadly blast on the Kerch bridge between Crimea and Russia despite the Kremlin’s accusations.

The Russian Federal Security Service known as the FSB said agents apprehended five Russian nationals, as well as three others who were from Ukraine and Armenia. The FSB claimed that the suspects were carrying out orders from Ukrainian military intelligence to bring the explosives into Russia. 

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry denied being responsible for the explosion.

“The entire activity of the FSB and the Investigative Committee is nonsense,” Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Yusov said.

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A blast from a truck carrying explosives on Saturday resulted in four deaths and significant damage to the bridge, with portions of the road collapsing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used the explosion as an excuse to conduct missile strikes in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said the Russian attack caused 19 deaths, including five in the capital city of Kyiv.

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Russia has targeted civilian buildings and power plants, damaging roughly one-third of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, according to Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko.

The barrage from Russia continued into Wednesday, with Ukraine’s presidential office saying in the morning that eight southeastern regions in Ukraine were harmed by Russian shelling, as well as attacks from drones, heavy artillery, and missiles, while strikes on central and western parts of Ukraine had ceased over the prior 24 hours.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.