A Russian military court on Thursday convicted eight people on terrorism charges for their alleged roles in the 2022 bombing of the Kerch Bridge, a vital supply link between mainland Russia and occupied Crimea. All eight defendants were sentenced to life in prison.

The October 2022 explosion — caused by a truck laden with explosives — destroyed two sections of the bridge, killing the truck driver and four people traveling in a nearby vehicle. The attack forced months of repairs and prompted Moscow to unleash a wave of retaliatory strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, particularly its power grid.

Ukraine’s domestic intelligence agency, the SBU, later claimed responsibility for planning the operation.

Russia detained eight suspects — Russian, Ukrainian, and Armenian nationals — accusing them of helping to orchestrate the bombing. Five additional suspects, including three Ukrainians and two Georgians, were charged in absentia.

Those convicted — Artyom and Georgy Azatyan, Oleg Antipov, Alexander Bylin, Vladimir Zloba, Dmitry Tyazhelykh, Roman Solomko, and Artur Terchanyan — were found guilty of participating in a terrorist act and illegal weapons trafficking. Solomko and Terchanyan also faced accusations of smuggling explosives.

All eight denied knowing the truck contained explosives, according to Russian media.

The head of Ukraine’s SBU, Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, previously said in a 2023 interview that he and two trusted officials devised the attack, using unwitting intermediaries to transport the bomb. Russia has charged Maliuk in absentia, alleging he directed the sabotage.

The trial, held behind closed doors in Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border, began in February 2025. One defendant, businessman Oleg Antipov — whose logistics firm handled the truck — reportedly contacted Russia’s Federal Security Service immediately after the blast, saying he believed something had gone wrong when he was unable to reach the driver.