- The Russians point to Kiril Budanov, Director of Intelligence at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, as responsible.
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| Kerch Bridge destroyed |
Russia announces the arrest of eight people for the attack on the Crimean bridge: five of them are Russian citizens
The Federal Security Service (FSB, former KGB) of Russia announced on Wednesday the arrest of eight people allegedly involved in the bomb attack that last Saturday damaged the Crimean bridge. "Five citizens of Russia and three from Ukraine and Armenia who participated in the preparation of the crime have been detained," the FSB said in a statement.
In total, adds the press release, twelve people have been identified involved in the attack on the bridge, which the Russian authorities described as a "terrorist action". According to the FSB, the attack on the infrastructure was organized by the Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, its head, Kiril Budanov, and his agents.
"The explosive device was concealed in rolls of polyethylene for construction contained in 22 pallets with a total weight of 22,770 kilograms," the statement said, adding that this cargo was dispatched in early August from the Ukrainian port of Odesa to the Bulgarian port of Ruse. , on the Danube.
The explosive was concealed in rolls of polyethylene for construction contained in 22 pallets weighing 22,770 kilograms.
According to the FSB, from Ruse, the cargo was sent to the Georgian port of Poti, on the Black Sea, and from there, by land, to Armenia, where it completed the customs procedures of the Eurasian Economic Union, led by Russia. From Armenia, the shipment of explosives passed through Georgia again and on October 4 entered Russian territory through the Verjni Lars mountain pass and was unloaded on October 6 at a wholesale center in the city of Armavir.
On October 7, the statement adds, the cargo documentation was falsified and a non-existent company in Crimea was indicated as the recipient of the cargo, and the next day, when the truck that was transporting it was driving over the bridge, it was detonated.
According to the FSB, the entire tracking of the route of the cargo with explosives and the contacts with the participants in the operation were carried out by an agent of the Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, who identified himself as "Ivan Ivanovich".
Two other arrests
Following these arrests, the FSB has also announced the arrest of two Ukrainian citizens who intended to carry out terrorist attacks on Russian territory. The service assures that it has aborted "the preparations for sabotage and terrorist attacks prepared by the Ukrainian intelligence services with the use of high-precision weapons in the Moscow region."
According to Russian intelligence, one of the detainees, born in 1972, moved two portable Igla rocket launchers from Kyiv to Russia via Estonia in a secret compartment of his car, to prepare terrorist attacks on the order of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). . During the investigation, Russian intelligence seized the two rocket launchers and media "confirming his criminal actions and his contacts with SBU agents."
The other detainee is suspected of preparing a terrorist attack in the Bryansk region, 380 kilometers southwest of Moscow. Russian intelligence indicated that the target chosen by the SBU was a transport logistics terminal in the area.
Criminal cases were opened against both detainees for "preparation of a terrorist attack" and "illegal acquisition, transmission, purchase, storage and carrying of weapons, committed by a criminal organization."
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