Russia arrests eight for Crimea bridge explosion

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday that it arrested five Russians and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia in the attack on the Kerch Bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula. The FSB alleged the detained suspects acted on orders of Ukraine’s military intelligence to secretly move the explosives by a convoluted route into Russia and forge accompanying documents. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday dismissed accusations of Ukrainian involvement, calling the FSB’s claims “nonsense.”

What happened, exactly? A truck loaded with explosives blew up while driving across the bridge Saturday. The explosion killed three people and caused sections of the bridge to collapse. The bridge opened in 2018—four years after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It has served as a crucial route for the Russian military headed to battles in southeast Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the blast by ordering a days-long barrage of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine that have killed nearly 20 people and injured more than 100.

Dig deeper: Listen to Myrna Brown’s conversation with retired US Army Lt. General Thomas Spoehr on The World and Everything in It podcast.