On October 12, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Giorgi Kakauridze, denied the accusation of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, as if the explosive material used in the blast on the Crimean bridge on October 8 reached its destination through the territory of Georgia.

"Georgia has nothing to do with the mentioned issue," the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs said today while talking to journalists. He added that "both transit and non-transit cargoes go through customs control in Georgia, and no similar suspicious facts have been observed."

On his part, Giorgi Kakauridze explained that "neither a trailer loaded with TNT nor other explosive substances" crossed the customs border of Georgia. "The customs service, in fulfilling its duty, has this procedure very well written, and there was no such case," he emphasized.

According to Kakauridze, "in some cases, certain accusations are heard from politicians, in some cases from the special services, behind which there is no justification." The deputy minister emphasized that if "someone just said something," he has no obligation to justify himself for it.

"If someone argues that [the cargo] crossed the border of Georgia, in that case, the investigation will be started, and the responsible persons will be [identified]," Kakauridze added, saying that if the mentioned information is "speculation," the relevant services should respond to it.

So far, his statement remains the only official reaction from the Georgian side, sparking concerns in the opposition forces and ordinary citizens on the inadequacy of the Georgian response.

The comments by Kakauridze follow what the Federal Security Service of Russia announced on October 12, where it accused the main intelligence division of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, its head Kirill Budanov, employees, and agents of masterminding the explosion of the Crimean bridge connecting Russia with the occupied peninsula.

The security service has also made public the scheme for delivering explosives to the destination. In particular, according to the agency, an explosive device hidden in a construction-purpose polyethylene roll was brought to Bulgaria from the port of Odesa. According to the version of the Security Service, after that, three citizens of Ukraine, two citizens of Georgia, and one citizen of Armenia were involved in transporting the cargo first to Poti port and then to Armenia.

According to the security service, the cargo was cleared by customs in Yerevan between September 29 and October 3, after which the documents of the sender and recipient were changed. On October 4, it was brought to one of the warehouses on the Krasnodar side by a Georgia-registered truck through the Zemo Lars customs checkpoint connecting Russia and Georgia.

On October 7, the data of the sender and recipient of the cargo were changed once again. On the same day, it was placed in a truck registered to a Russian citizen, which blew up on October 8 while traveling on the Crimean bridge.
The Russian side also says that as of now, eight persons have been detained within the scope of the case, five of them are citizens of Russia, and 3 are citizens of Ukraine and Armenia. According to the security service, the investigation into the case continues, and its accomplices, including foreign citizens, will be held accountable in accordance with Russian legislation.