Crimea bridge attack arrests as market in Donetsk region attacked - BBC

Russia says it has detained 8 radical successful transportation with Saturday's detonation connected a cardinal span linking Russia to Crimea.

Its FSB information work said 5 of those held were Russians, portion the others were Ukrainian and Armenian.

It says Kyiv was down the onslaught but a Ukrainian authoritative described Russia's probe arsenic "nonsense".

The quality came arsenic astatine slightest 7 radical were reported killed successful an onslaught connected a marketplace successful the eastbound municipality of Avdiivka.

Donetsk determination subject caput Pavlo Kyrylenko said the onslaught took spot astatine a engaged time, adding that astatine slightest 8 others were injured.

He advised each residents of the region, which is partially Russian-occupied, to evacuate.

Elsewhere, 3 people, including a six-year-old girl, were earnestly injured by shelling successful Nikopol, successful Dnipro region, a Ukrainian statesmanlike spokesperson said.

Ukraine's Emergency Ministry reported respective S-300 missiles had fallen successful and astir Zaporizhzhia, with 1 destroying a residential gathering successful a suburb. It said a household were pulled from the wreckage.

Meanwhile the BBC's Hugo Bachega successful Kyiv said 5 explosions had been heard successful Kherson, 1 of the largest cities nether Russian occupation, portion determination were unconfirmed reports that the aerial defence strategy successful the metropolis had been activated.

He said it was not wide what had triggered the explosions.

Ukraine's subject said its troops were continuing their beforehand successful the region, capturing different 5 settlements.

The blast connected the Crimea Bridge was a almighty symbolic stroke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who opened the span successful 2018, 4 years aft Russia's annexation of Crimea.

President Putin called it an "act of terrorism" aimed astatine destroying a critically important portion of Russia's civilian infrastructure.

FSB officials said the blast was organised by "the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, its caput Kyrylo Budanov, its unit and agents".

They alleged the explosives had been hidden successful rolls of integrative movie and taken connected a roundabout way from the Ukrainian larboard of Odesa - archetypal by oversea to Bulgaria, past Georgia, and past driven by lorry overland into Russia via Armenia.

But a spokesperson for the directorate, Andriy Yusov, rubbished the Russian accusations.

"All the activities of the FSB and [Russia's] Investigative Committee are nonsense," helium told Ukrainian media. "They are fake structures which service the Putin regime, truthful we're decidedly not going to remark connected their latest announcements."

Russian forces retaliated connected Monday with a question of rocket strikes crossed the country, including connected cardinal Kyiv, sidesplitting 19 people.

Asked by the BBC connected Wednesday whether the aims of Russia's peculiar subject cognition - what Moscow calls its penetration - remained the same, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said they were "exactly the same".

"These goals lone go much applicable against the backdrop of the actions of the Ukrainian regime," helium said.

In February erstwhile helium launched the invasion, Mr Putin called for the "demilitarisation and denazification" of Ukraine, presumption helium uses for the overthrow of the Ukrainian authorities, which Moscow considers "fascist".

Following much strikes connected Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged countries to deed Moscow with much sanctions successful effect to "a caller question of terror".

The calls came aft helium met the G7 radical of nations for exigency virtual talks connected Tuesday.

The bloc - which consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US - promised to proceed providing "financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal" enactment to his state "for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes".

Nato besides said it would basal with Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic necessary, arsenic ministers stitchery for 2 days of talks successful Brussels.

The bloc's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the confederation needed to standard up its proviso of aerial defence to Ukraine, with some long-and short-range systems to header with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

"This repeated nonaccomplishment of #ZNPP's off-site powerfulness is simply a profoundly worrying improvement and it underlines the urgent request for a atomic information & information extortion portion astir the site," helium added.

Also Ukrainian atomic bureau Enerhoatom said successful a station connected Telegram that the Russian authorities astatine the plant, the largest successful Europe, were not allowing it to present caller supplies of diesel fuel.