Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that a massive explosion which damaged a crucial bridge linking Russian-occupied Crimea and the Russian mainland was a "terrorist" act organized by Ukrainian special services.
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"There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure," Putin said in a video on the Kremlin Telegram channel on October 9 without providing details or evidence.
"This was devised, carried out, and ordered by the Ukrainian special services," he said.
Putin's comments came after he met with Aleksandr Bastrykin, the head of Russia's Investigative Committee, to discuss the findings of an inquiry into the October 8 explosion and fire on the 19-kilometer, $3.6 billion Crimea Bridge.
Bastrykin claimed that Ukrainian special services were aided by citizens of Russia and other countries in the attack, saying a truck suspected in the bombing had been to Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, and Russia's North Ossetia region and Krasnodar, among other places.
Earlier in the day, Russian divers began examining the bridge to determine the cause of the blast.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosion that sent one span of the bridge's highway section tumbling into the Kerch Strait and damaged the rail section.
But the blast has become a major morale boost for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and a humiliating blow to Putin's prestige.
The bridge, constructed by Russia after its seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, is seen as a key route for supplies to the territory and for supporting Russian forces fighting in southern Ukraine. The bridge has also been used by the Kremlin as a symbol of its control over Crimea.
Russian news agencies reported that divers would begin work in the morning of October 9 before an inspection above the waterline is conducted later in the day.
The Russia-installed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said on Telegram on October 8 that cars were being allowed to travel on one lane of the highway after a full inspection, but truck traffic was not being allowed. He said that the situation was "under control" and urged people in Crimea to remain calm and said those who wish to travel to Russia could travel for free by ferry.
"The situation is manageable -- it's unpleasant, but not fatal," Aksyonov told reporters. "Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge."
Aksyonov also said that Crimea has a month's worth of fuel and more than two months' worth of food, while the Defense Ministry has said that its forces fighting in occupied areas of southern Ukraine will be "fully supplied" by way of existing land and sea routes.
Kyiv, which has made significant military gains in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories in recent weeks, has demanded that Russian forces leave the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia last month annexed the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson in Ukraine's south and east and has since pulled back its forces in multiple regions in the face of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
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Blast Disables Traffic Over Bridge From Russia To Crimea
On October 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Federal Security Service to take charge of security measures for the Crimea Bridge and other infrastructure on the peninsula.
It remains unclear who was behind the bridge explosion or if it did involve a truck. Russian authorities have alleged that the truck they say carried the bomb was traveling from Russia's Krasnodar region to Crimea.