Ukrainian security chief says Ukraine intelligence involved in both Crimean Bridge explosions

Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov has confirmed that Ukraine’s intelligence services were involved in both Crimean Bridge explosions, Strana.ua reports.

“Our military put in place the untouchability of many facilities that were considered 100% protected in Russia. This includes the Crimean Bridge that was mentioned by our Security Service representatives, who took part in the first and the second cases,” Danilov told Ukrainian TV.

Ukraine cannot use the West-produced weapons for strikes on Russia, but these limitations do not cover the weapons manufactured by Ukraine, he added.

In late July, head of the Ukrainian Security Service Vasyl Maliuk officially confirmed that Kyiv was involved in the October 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion for the first time. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry also recognised that Ukraine was behind the blast.

The first Crimean Bridge attack took place in the morning of 8 October 2022. The explosion led to the collapse of a section of the vehicle road and resulted in a fire on a train that was transporting flammable substances. Four people died. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the blast as a “terror attack on Russia’s critically important infrastructure” and accused the Ukrainian secret services of masterminding it.

The second attack was conducted on 17 July. According to the investigation, the explosion killed two people, a married couple that was travelling to Crimea for a holiday. Their 14-year-old daughter was in the car as well and survived the attack.