Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Russian Defense Ministry is preparing a response to the attack that damaged the bridge linking Crimea with southern Russia, which he blamed on Ukraine.
At the end of a meeting with national and regional officials to assess the consequences of the explosion, Putin called the attack on the bridge a cruel and senseless act.

Foreign media reports that the second attack on the Crimean bridge was carried out by water drones, and seriously damaged one of the crossings.
The bridge was targeted by a bomb attack in October last year, but was recovered and reopened in February. This bridge is considered a critical infrastructure used by the Russian army for the transport of heavy combat vehicles.
