Putin says mass strikes launched on Ukraine in response to Crimean bridge attack

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that targets in Ukraine were hit in response to the explosion on the Kerch Bridge and other "terrorist attacks" carried out by Ukraine's intelligence.

Speaking at a meeting with the members of the Russian Security Council, Putin said the evidence gathered by Russian investigators shows that Ukrainian intelligence was behind Saturday's attack on the bridge which connects Russia to Crimea.

"This morning, at the proposal of the Defense Ministry and according to the plan of the Russian General Staff, a massive strike was carried out with high-precision long-range air, sea and land-based weapons on energy, military administration and communications facilities of Ukraine," he said.

Putin said Ukraine's special services carried out attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine and Kursk nuclear power plant in Russia.

A number of other "terrorist attacks" have targeted Russia's energy infrastructure, including an attempt to blast one of the sections of the TurkStream gas pipeline which runs from Russia to Türkiye, he said.

Russia was not included in the investigation on the leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines, he said, adding that everyone knows "the final beneficiary."

In the past, Putin said the explosion on the offshore pipelines which carry gas from Russia to Germany will help energy companies in the US reap huge profits by selling gas to Europe.