Putin accuses Ukraine of ‘terrorist act’ in Kerch Bridge blast – POLITICO

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday accused Ukraine of perpetrating a “terrorist act” within the fiery blast a day earlier that broken a strategic bridge linking Crimea with Russia.

“There’s little question it was a terrorist act directed on the destruction of critically necessary civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation,” Putin mentioned throughout a gathering with the pinnacle of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, in line with media reviews.

“This was devised, carried out, and ordered by the Ukrainian particular companies,” Putin mentioned.

Ukraine has not claimed duty for the explosion that broken the Kerch Bridge, a humiliating blow to Putin’s status. However Ukrainian officers celebrated the blast on social media and it has grow to be a significant morale booster for Ukraine’s battle effort.

Putin met with Bastrykin to debate the findings of an investigation into the large explosion and fireplace on the 19-kilometer Crimean bridge, which the Russian president personally opened with nice fanfare in 2018 after Moscow seized the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Russian divers started inspecting the bridge to find out the reason for the blast earlier Sunday.

A prison investigation has been launched into the assault on the bridge, Bastrykin mentioned.

After the explosion on Saturday, Putin tightened safety for the bridge and for vitality infrastructure between Russia and Crimea. He has known as a gathering of his nationwide safety council for Monday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov instructed Russian state-owned information company TASS on Sunday.  

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak known as Putin’s accusation “too cynical even for Russia” in a tweet.

“Putin accuses Ukraine of terrorism?” he mentioned. “It has not even been 24 hours since Russian planes fired 12 rockets right into a residential space of ​​Zaporizhzhia, killing 13 folks and injuring greater than 50. No, there is just one state terrorist and the entire world is aware of who he’s,” Podolyak mentioned.

The injury to the Kerch Bridge, a key image of Putin’s declare over the Crimean peninsula, threatened an important route for Russian army provides to assist its forces in southern Ukraine. It got here as Ukrainian advances proceed to reclaim occupied territories from Moscow’s forces.