TOP HEADLINES

• Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Russia must destroy what he called the top leadership of "terrorist formations" after an attack on the Crimea Bridge.

• Three Ukrainian media outlets quoted unnamed sources as saying Ukraine's domestic security agency and navy were behind the incident on the bridge, and that they had used sea-borne drones to attack it.

• A Russian couple were killed and their 14-year-old daughter wounded as they drove across the bridge at night for a family holiday on Crimea's Black Sea coast.

• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of the attack, while suggesting the UK and U.S. were also involved.

• The Kremlin said it knew "very well" that NATO and the U.S. were providing intelligence to Ukraine but this was not a reason to cut off diplomatic ties with them following the incident on the bridge linking Russia and Crimea.

• Russia has officially notified Türkiye, Ukraine and the UN that it is against extending the Black Sea grain export deal.

• The Kremlin said there was no link between the bridge attack and Russia's decision to suspend its participation in the grain deal, intended to allow Ukraine to export grain safely from its Black Sea ports.

• The Kremlin insists it would return to the grain deal if Russian conditions were met.

• Germany is continuing to appeal to Russia to make an extension of the grain deal with Ukraine possible, a government spokesperson in Berlin said.

• Ukraine said its forces had retaken several square kilometers of territory around the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seized in May. 

• The UK government has introduced new sanctions, including against Russian education minister Sergey Kravtsov, related to what it describes as Moscow's forced deportation of Ukrainian children.

IN DETAIL 

Russia points finger at 'terrorist leaders' after bridge attack

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Russia must destroy what he called the top leadership of "terrorist formations" after the attack on the Crimea Bridge.

A Russian couple were killed and their 14-year-old daughter were wounded on Monday as they drove across the bridge at night for a family holiday on Crimea's Black Sea coast.

Ukraine's military suggested Russia was behind the attack, but Ukrainian media said Ukrainian security services had hit the bridge with underwater drones.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the "Kyiv regime" of carrying out the attack, aided by "direct participation of American and British intelligence agencies and politicians."

The Kremlin said it knew "very well" that NATO and the U.S. were providing intelligence to Ukraine, but this was not a reason to cut off diplomatic ties with them after the attack on the bridge linking Russia and Crimea.

"In the most acute moments, we need channels for dialogue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Grain deal expiring

The Kremlin added there was no link between the bridge attack and its decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea grain deal, intended to allow Ukraine to export grain safely from its Black Sea ports.

The deal, brokered by the UN and Türkiye last July, aimed to alleviate a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain blocked by the Russia-Ukraine conflict to be exported safely.

It had been extended several times, but was due to expire on Monday. Russia had been saying for months that conditions for its extension had not been fulfilled.

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday