Vladimir Putin has described the attack on the bridge to Crimea as a “terrorist act” carried out by the Ukrainian secret service, paving the way for a major escalation in his war with Ukraine.
The Russian leader has previously talked up responding to an attack on Russian territory with a nuclear missile strike and has called a meeting of Russia’s security council to discuss retaliation options on Monday.
In a 33-second video posted by the Kremlin, Mr Putin was filmed talking to Alexander Bastrykin, chairman of the Russian investigative committee, in his office about an explosion on the 12-mile bridge that connects Crimea to mainland Russia.
Mr Putin said that the explosion on the Crimea Bridge was “a terrorist act aimed at destroying the critical infrastructure of the Russian Federation” and that it was organised by Ukrainian special services.
This is the first comment by Mr Putin since the blast on Saturday morning. Russian officials have said that the blast was caused by a truck exploding and that three people had been killed.
Mr Bastrykin responded to Mr Putin by saying that “citizens of the Russian Federation and foreign countries were involved in the incident, they helped in the preparation of the terrorist attack”.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, has previously warned that an attack on the Crimea Bridge would trigger “judgement day”.
Ukrainian officials have not claimed responsibility for the blast, although the New York Times quoted a “senior Ukrainian source” saying that its intelligence service had been involved and Western commentators warned that Mr Putin could escalate the conflict.
“A strike on the bridge was considered one of the red lines, crossing which could lead to a ‘worst-case scenario’ angry reaction, up to and including nuclear retaliation,” said Tatyana Stanovaya, an analyst with the R.Politik think tank.
Russia’s FSB security service also reported an increase in shelling on Sunday into Russia from Ukraine.
Western commentators have said that the Kremlin may use false flag attacks to justify an escalation of the war.
Mr Putin has lost trust in his military since its failure to capture Kyiv in March and after a series of defeats in August and September, making him more volatile.
Russian commentators demand strong response
A heavy response to the blast on the Crimea Bridge will please Russian commentators who had urged Mr Putin to use heavier-handed tactics.
Sergei Markov, a former adviser to Mr Putin, said that the Kremlin should “punish” Ukrainians and their allies.
“It’s time for Russia to stop talking and instead begin silently and painfully beating them,” he said.
Around Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces recaptured an area the size of Devon in only a few days and on Sunday a Ukrainian military spokesman said that since August they had captured 450sq miles, roughly the size of Bedfordshire, around Kherson which neighbours Crimea.
The Crimea Bridge has become vital for Russia’s supply line to its forces and the British ministry of defence said that damage to it would be a major problem.
“Any serious disruption to its capacity will highly likely have a significant impact on Russia’s already strained ability to sustain its forces in southern Ukraine,” it said.
A section of one of the roads supported by the bridge collapsed after the explosion and fire scorched the railway line but Russian officials insisted that it was operational.
An attack on a Russian supply line would also fit with Ukrainian strategy and damage to the Crimea Bridge will now force Russia to drive some of its supplies to the southern front along a hazardous route through occupied regions in south Ukraine.
In Zaporizhzhia, around 15 miles north of the southern frontline, emergency workers were picking through the rubble of a Russian missile strike that killed 12 people. Video shot after the pre-dawn attack showed survivors limping from the destroyed apartment block.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, called the attacks “merciless strikes on civilians”.
The Kremlin appears to have singled out Zaporizhzhia for punishment, hitting the city several times over the past few weeks. At least 17 people were killed on Thursday in one attack.
Zaporizhzhia lies in territory claimed by the Kremlin last month when it announced an illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
Photo Credit: Getty
