A car bomb exploded on the Crimean Bridge, setting off a major fire at the main crossing between the Moscow-annexed Ukrainian peninsula and the Russian mainland, Russian news agencies reported, citing Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee.
The bridge, which was built at great expense on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is used to transport military equipment for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
“Today at 06:07 (03:07 Moscow time) a car bomb exploded on the roadway of the Kurumsky bridge, which led to the fire of seven railway tank locomotives en route to Crimea,” the committee said.
The committee reported that two lanes of the bridge’s carriageway were damaged as a result of the explosion, but its arch was not damaged.
A Kremlin spokesman told RIA Novosti that Putin ordered the formation of a government commission to disclose the facts.
Volodymyr Konstantinov, head of the Crimean Council, a local parliament created by Russia, accused “Ukrainian saboteurs” of involvement in the bombing.