Ukrainians among eight suspects detained by Russia over Crimea bridge blast
Kerch bridge
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In a statement quoted by news agencies, the FSB security service said that Russia detained eight suspects on Wednesday (October 12) over the deadly explosion of the bridge linking Crimea to Russia.
The blast on Saturday killed at least three people and angered Moscow as the Kerch bridge is logistically crucial for Russia.
It is a key transport link for moving military equipment to Russian soldiers who are fighting in Ukraine. The bridge is also quite symbolic as it was inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin personally in 2018.
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Moscow blamed Kyiv for the explosion and launched missile attacks on Monday across Ukraine, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 100.
The statement by the FSB security service mentioned that "explosives were hidden in 22 plastic film rolls weighing 22,770 kilograms". Among eight suspects, five Russians and "three Ukrainian and Armenian citizens" were included. The authorities didn't reveal their identity.
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ALSO READ |Ukrainians among eight suspects detained by Russia over Crimea bridge blast
According to the FSB, the rolls were left on a boat in August from the Ukrainian port of Odessa to Bulgaria. They then transited through the port of Poti in Georgia, then sent overland to Armenia before arriving by road in Russia.
The agency also revealed that the explosives entered Russia on October 4 in a truck with Georgian license plates and reached the region of Krasnodar on October 6, two days before the blasts.
Calling it a "terrorist attack", FSB reiterated Russia's stand and said that it was organised by Ukrainian secret services, with a Kyiv agent having coordinated the transit of the explosives.
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