Russian security forces say a key bridge to Crimea was sabotaged by a truck bomb hidden inside rolls of plastic wrap that repeatedly went unnoticed

• Russia says a key bridge to Crimea was attacked by a truck bomb hidden in rolls of plastic.
• Russia's Federal Security Service said Ukrainian military intelligence organized the bombing.

Authorities in Russia said on Wednesday that the weekend attack on the key bridge between the country and Crimea was carried out with a truck bomb hidden inside rolls of plastic wrap that repeatedly went unnoticed through several locations.

Russia's Federal Security Service claimed that the bombing — which Russian President Vladimir Putin has deemed a "terrorist attack" — was organized by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and its head, Kyrylo Budanov.

Ukraine has not directly claimed responsibility for the Saturday bombing of the Kerch Strait Bridge, but Ukrainian officials have hinted that the eastern European country may have sabotaged the span to the annexed territory of Crimea.

Russia's Federal Security Service said that the explosive device that destroyed part of the bridge was "camouflaged" in rolls of construction polyethylene film on 22 pallets weighing in total more than 25 tons.

Beginning in early August, the explosive device moved around from Ukraine's Odesa to the Bulgarian city of Ruse, crossed the Russian-Georgian border, and was moved to Armenia by the first week of October, according to Russia's Federal Security Service.

"At the same time, control over the movement of cargo along the entire route and contacts with participants in the criminal transportation scheme was carried out by an employee of the Main Intelligence Directorate" of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Russia's Federal Security Service said.

The agency said it had detained eight people — five citizens of Russia and three citizens of Ukraine and Armenia — in connection to the bridge bombing.

"The investigation into the attack continues," the Russian agency said. "All its organizers and accomplices, including foreign citizens, will be held accountable in accordance with Russian law."

The Russian military on Monday launched a barrage of deadly strikes on cities across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhzhia, as retaliation for the bridge blast amid the Kremlin's war with Ukraine.

However, Russia has a long history of fabricating narratives as part of its propaganda campaign.

The US Department of State said in January, "Over many years, Russia has fabricated a set of false narratives that its disinformation and propaganda ecosystem persistently injects into the global information environment."

"These narratives act like a template, which enables the Kremlin to adjust these narratives, with one consistency – a complete disregard for truth as it shapes the information environment to support its policy goals," the State Department said.