Live: Russia arrests eight suspects over Crimea bridge blast
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Issued on: 12/10/2022 – 05:36
Russia has detained eight suspects over the deadly explosion on the Kerch bridge linking annexed Crimea to Russia, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement quoted by news agencies on Wednesday. The suspects included five Russians and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia, according to the FSB. Follow FRANCE 24’s live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
8:47am: FSB arrests eight suspects for Crimea bridge blast
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained five Russians and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia over the explosion that damaged the Kerch bridge linking Crimea and Russia on Saturday, according to Interfax.
The FSB said the explosion was organised by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian defence ministry, and its director Kyrylo Budanov.
The explosives were stored in plastic film rolls that left the Ukrainian port of Odesa in August and transited through Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia before entering Russia, it said.
Bulgaria on Tuesday rejected reports that the truck linked to the powerful blast that damaged the bridge over the Kerch Strait had travelled via its territory.
8:19am: Ukraine has received German Iris-T air defence system: minister
Ukraine has received the first Iris-T defence system from Germany, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has said.
“IRIS-Ts from (Germany) are already here. (American) NASAMS are coming. This is only the beginning. And we need more,” Reznikov tweeted late on Tuesday. “There is a moral imperative to protect the sky over (Ukraine) in order to save our people.”
Germany had promised delivery of the first Iris-T missile shield “in the coming days” after Russia unleashed deadly attacks across Ukraine on Monday, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 100, according to Ukrainian authorities.
7:20am: Russia deploying Iranian Shahed drones in Ukraine: UK
Russia has deployed Iranian-manufactured Shahed-136 drones in Russia since “at least August 2022” including during the October 10 extensive strikes on Ukrainian cities, according to the UK’s daily military intelligence briefing.
>> Ukraine faces new Russian threat from Iran-made ‘kamikaze’ drones
While Russia may have “achieved some success” with the use of the drones, the briefing notes that the Iranian drones “are slow and fly at low altitudes making lone aircraft easy to target using conventional air defences”.
7:05am: Blasts heard in Russian-occupied Kherson, Melitopol
Five blasts were heard in the city of Kherson early on Wednesday, Russian media reported, adding that according to unofficial information air defence systems were launched.
Kherson, the administrative centre of Ukraine’s broader Kherson region, was one of the first cities to fall to Russian forces after they launched their invasion in February.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of Russian-controlled Melitopol in the south of the Zaporizhzhia region, said on the Telegram messaging app that there was a powerful explosion in the city.
RIA reported, citing local Russia-installed police, that a device exploded near the city’s central market. There were no casualties, RIA reported.
The reports could not be independently verified.
3:42am: Biden doesn’t rule out meeting Putin at G20 summit to discuss jailed athlete Griner
“Look, I have no intention of meeting with him” at the November summit in Bali, Biden told CNN in a rare televised interview.
“But for example, if he came to me at the G20 and said I want to talk about the release of (detained basketball star) Brittney Griner, I’d meet with him. I mean, it would depend.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
