Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of “terrorism” in a sign of his fury over the blast that destroyed a bridge which is a key supply route and symbol of Russia’s occupation.

In a major humiliation to Moscow, the bridge to the annexed Crimean peninsula exploded on Saturday (local time) but Ukraine, which reacted gleefully to the blast, has not claimed responsibility.

As ordinary Ukrainians celebrated Russia’s latest embarrassment by posing with pictures of the burning bridge, Mr Putin on Monday morning (Australian time), laid blame squarely on Ukraine.

“There is no doubt. This is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure,” the Russian leader said in a video on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel.

“This was devised, carried out and ordered by the Ukrainian special services.”

Ukrainians take photos against the background of a giant stamp depicting the burning Crimean bridge. Photo: Getty

Mr Putin was meeting Alexander Bastrykin, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, who was presenting findings of an inquiry into the explosion and fire.

The bridge is also a major artery for the port of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based.

The damage to the bridge, which had been an imposing symbol of Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, came amid battlefield defeats for Russia, and could further cloud Kremlin reassurances that the conflict is going to plan.

Rail services and partial road traffic resumed a day after the blast.

Images showed half of a section of the bridge’s roadway blown away, with the other half still attached.

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and the 19-kilometre bridge linking the region to its transport network was opened with great fanfare four years later by Mr Putin.

Ukrainians say they’ve had a significant victory with the explosion that damaged a key bridge linking Russia with annexed Crimea – We look at why ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ULNr1LKVgl

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 9, 2022

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said divers would examine the damage, with a more detailed survey above the waterline expected to be complete by day’s end, domestic news agencies reported.

“The situation is manageable – it’s unpleasant, but not fatal,” Crimea’s Russian governor, Sergei Aksyonov, said.

“Of course, emotions have been triggered and there is a healthy desire to seek revenge.”

The peninsula had a month’s worth of fuel and more than two months’ worth of food, he said. Russia’s defence ministry said its forces in southern Ukraine could be “fully supplied” through existing land and sea routes.

Mr Putin signed a decree for tighter security for the bridge, as well as the infrastructure supplying electricity and natural gas to Crimea, and ordered an investigation.

In the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, 125 kilometre from a Russian-held nuclear power plant that is Europe’s largest, Russian missile attacks killed at least 12, and sent 49 to hospital, the regional governor said on Sunday.

A nine-storey building was partially destroyed, five residential buildings levelled and many more damaged in a dozen attacks, Oleksandr Starukh, the governor, said on the Telegram messaging app.

“There may be more people under the rubble,” he warned, with eight rescued.

Earlier, city official Anatoliy Kurtev had estimated at least 17 deaths, while the military’s central command said the number of victims could run into dozens.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not refer to the blast in a video address on Saturday, saying merely that the weather in Crimea was cloudy.

“But however cloudy it is, Ukrainians know … our future is sunny,” he said.

“This is a future without occupiers, across our territory, particularly in Crimea.”

-with AAP