An explosion on Saturday, October 8, damaged the only bridge connecting Russia with annexed Crimea.
Eight people have been detained over the blast, which marks a critical juncture in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s Federal Security Service claimed that the main intelligence department of the Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, its head, employees and agents organized the “terrorist attack” on the Kerch Strait road-and-rail bridge, Russian state media RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. As of Thursday afternoon, Ukraine had yet to publicly comment on the new claims.
The bridge is strategically important because it links Russia’s Krasnador region with the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 in a move roundly criticized by the international community.
The blast sparked a feverish response from the Kremlin, which used the explosion to justify a wave of brutal airstrikes across Ukraine in scenes that echoed the early days of the invasion.
Highlights from the Past Week
Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, along with notable images:
People react in a courtroom in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where a jury recommended life in prison for Cruz, who killed 17 people in the February 2018 shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Some victims’ loved ones were disappointed and angry that he did not receive the death penalty. Amy Beth BennettPool/Getty ImagesUS President Joe Biden discusses the economy as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin.Jennifer Galindez mourns her granddaughter Damna Romero in Las Tejerias, Venezuela, where days of heavy rainfall led to a catastrophic landslide that killed dozens of people in the state of Aragua. Gaby Oraa/ReutersMinnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson dives for a two-point conversion during the Vikings’ 29-22 victory over Chicago on Sunday, October 9. Brad Rempel/USA Today SportsA video played during the House select committee’s public hearing aired previously unseen footage from Fort McNair, where congressional leaders took refuge during the January 6 insurrection. Alex Wong/Pool/APAttendants at the “Forging Ahead in the New Era” exhibition showcase China’s advancements during Xi Jinping’s tenure as general secretary of the Communist Party. Xi is widely expected to seek an unprecedented third term as China’s leader at the National Congress this Sunday. Noel Celis/AFP/Getty ImagesPat Pickett attempts to salvage a Bible, given to her in 1950, from her mobile home impacted by Hurricane Ian floodwaters on Florida’s San Carlos Island. Erica Lee/CNNStreets are flooded in Las Tejerias, Venezuela, after heavy rains caused a deadly landslide on Sunday, October 9. Matias Delacroix/APJustices of the US Supreme Court gather for a formal group photo on Friday, October 7. Eric Lee/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesTourists enjoy a boat ride at the Luyang Lake wetland park in Yangzhou, China. Meng Delong/Xinhua/Getty ImagesMigrants lift a boat on the beach of Gravelines, France, as they prepare to cross the English Channel on Wednesday, October 12. Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty ImagesTexas quarterback Quinn Ewers celebrates with fans after leading his team to a crushing 49-0 victory against Oklahoma, marking the latter’s worst loss in this rivalry dating back to 1900. Jeffrey McWhorter/APMembers of a forensics team exhume bodies from a mass grave in Lyman, Ukraine, on Tuesday, October 11, following the city’s liberation from Russian control. Francisco Seco/APIn an undated photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the opening ceremony of the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm. KCNA/ReutersFormula One driver Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to secure his second-straight drivers’ title on Sunday, October 9. Issei Kato/Reuters
