Russia’s Crimea bridge exploded and partially ruptured on Saturday (8th), and President Vladimir Putin signed an order requiring the protection of traffic passages, power supply systems and natural gas pipelines in the Kechi Strait. Investigators identified the owner of the bombed van as a 25-year-old Russian man, Samir Yusubov, who lives in the southern Krasnodar Krai. His 52-year-old cousin, Makhir Yusubov, was driving the van at the time of the incident. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to strengthen the security of the Kechi Strait and protect energy infrastructure.
In a 28-second video circulating online, Yusubov denies any involvement in the Crimea Bridge explosion, claiming that the truck was used by Maher, who transports goods and usually arranges work through a website. Yusubov said Maher was lost after the bridge exploded. It is currently unknown whether the truck driver knew that there were explosives in the car. Netizens analyzed the explosion pictures released by Russia and believed that the first explosion point was in the air outside the bridge, and then the truck was ignited successively, suspecting that it was a missile attack.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Podoljak once claimed that the bridge explosion was just the beginning, stressing that anything illegal must be destroyed and that all stolen items must be returned to Ukraine, but did not admit responsibility. The US media quoted an anonymous senior Ukrainian official admitting that Ukrainian intelligence services planned the attack, involving a bomb loaded on a truck driving over the bridge, which Kyiv has banned officials from talking about the explosion.
The Russian government said earlier that a criminal investigation had been launched after a truck exploded and ignited the tank car of another train on the bridge, causing partial damage to the bridge.