Truck that blew up Crimea bridge also travelled through Armenia, says RussiaOctober 10, 2022 - 15:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Investigators in Russia say they have established that the truck which they say blew up the bridge to Crimea travelled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Krasnodar Territory, the BBC reports. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of attacking the bridge, saying that it was an "act of terrorism". Putin said Ukraine's intelligence forces had aimed to destroy a critically important piece of Russia's civil infrastructure. He was speaking at a meeting with the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin. Officials say three people were killed in the blast on the bridge. The victims were in a nearby car when a lorry blew up, Russian officials say. According to Bastrykin, investigators have established that the truck which they say blew up travelled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Krasnodar Territory. He has ordered an investigation into the incident which brought down sections of the roadway. Ukrainian officials have not indicated that their forces were behind the attack. But an adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, denied Putin's accusation. He wrote that there is "only one terrorist state here" and that the "whole world knows who it is". On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the incident in his nightly address, saying: "Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory." "Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm," he added. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |