STORY: Russian President Vladimir Putin blames Ukraine for Crimean bridge explosion. There’s no doubt. It is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying vital civilian infrastructure, Putin said in an official video address. The act was planned, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian secret service. On Saturday there was a heavy detonation on the connecting bridge from the mainland to the annexed peninsula of Crimea, which is strategically extremely important for Russia. The cause and whether it was an accident or an attack was still not clear. The incident was celebrated in Ukraine, but no responsibility was taken. The 19 km long bridge spans the Kerch Strait, a strait between the Black and Azov Seas. Putin’s prestige project was launched in 2018, four years after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. The bridge plays a crucial role in Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, because a significant part of the supplies for the soldiers in the Crimea and in the largely occupied southern Ukrainian region of Kherson are delivered via it from the Russian mainland.