Russia identifies the first suspect in the Crimean Bridge bombing, and America is rushing to send Nasams systems to Ukraine

Russia accused the intelligence service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and its chief, General Kirilu Budanov, of masterminding the Crimean bridge bombing, and revealed more details about the incident, to which it responded with a series of missile strikes from the air and sea.

The Russian state security service said today, Wednesday, that the authorities had arrested 5 Russians and 3 from Ukraine and Armenia in connection with the bombing, which Moscow says was carried out by a truck bomb last Saturday, which damaged the Kerch Bridge, which connects the Russian mainland with Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

The Russian service stated that investigations showed that the explosives were inside wraps of plastic used in construction work, and were transferred from Odessa, southern Ukraine to Bulgaria, last August, stressing that the party that orchestrated the attack was the intelligence of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and its head, despite the lack of adoption Kyiv bombing.

The Russian State Security Service also accused the Ukrainian intelligence of transferring “Igla” missile systems to Russia via Estonia to launch “terrorist” attacks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine’s intelligence service of masterminding the attack, after he was briefed last Sunday night on the preliminary findings of the Russian Investigative Committee headed by Alexander Bastrykin. Bastrykin said that the truck used in the bombing set off from Bulgaria to Georgia, then to Armenia, before reaching North Ossetia in Russia, and continuing its journey towards the Krasnodar region in the southwest of the country, bordering Crimea.

On the ground, the Ukrainian forces announced the restoration of control of 5 towns in the Kherson province in the south of the country, as the army continues its offensive there despite a series of missile strikes launched by Russia on several cities across Ukraine since Monday. In the city of Kherson, which is controlled by Russian forces – which is the center of the province recently annexed by Russia and with 3 other Ukrainian provinces – 5 explosions were heard early this morning, according to Russian media.

The same sources added that air defense systems were launched in the city, according to unofficial information. Also, Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of the city of Melitopol, said that a powerful explosion occurred in the city controlled by Russian forces, in the south of Zaporozhye province.

The Russian Information Agency – quoting the local police appointed by Russia – said that an explosive device exploded near the central market in Melitopol, and reported that there were no injuries.

Yesterday, the Ukrainian forces confirmed that they are continuing their attacks to regain control of more areas in the south of the country, despite the Russian army continuing its extensive strikes with long-range and high-precision missiles from the air and sea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called – in a video speech before an emergency G7 summit yesterday – to support his country’s army with more air defense systems to repel Russian attacks and threats, and to impose more sanctions on the Russians.

US President Joe Biden pledged to his counterpart Zelensky – in a phone call the day before yesterday – to support Ukraine’s air defenses after the strikes that included the capital, Kyiv. The United States has provided more than $16.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the Russian war on February 24.