Vladlen Tatarsky, a Russian military blogger famous for his pro-war narrative, died in a blast in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday, media reports said, quoting a statement issued by Russia’s interior ministry. Tatarsky’s real name was Maxim Fomin and he had over 5.5 lakh followers on Telegram, according to a report in The Guardian.
While it was not immediately known as to who was behind the killing, the report said a St Petersburg woman, who had been detained in the past for participating in anti-war rallies, is stated to have been picked up on the suspicion of her involvement in the bombing that also left more than 30 people injured.
A BBC report identified the woman as 26-year-old Darya Trepova, who was on the wanted list of the interior ministry.
A Reuters report, quoting Russia's state Investigative Committee, said a murder investigation has been initiated, and that 19 of the injured persons were being treated in a hospital.
Citing local media, the media reports quoted above said the bomb was hidden in a statuette that was given to Tatarsky in a box as a gift as he addressed a gathering inside the cafe.
Videos posted on Twitter show the explosion captured in a camera from the opposite side of the street where the cafe is located.
‘We’ll Kill Everyone, We’ll Loot Whoever We Need To…’
The media reports said Telegram channel Mash, which is linked to the Russian law enforcement, also posted a video that purportedly showed Tatarsky, who was holding a microphone in his hand, being presented with the statue of a soldier. The powerful blast occurred minutes later, the post said.
The event was reportedly organised by a “patriotic Russian group”, according to the Guardian report.
Tatarsky would often travel with Russian troops on the frontlines, and had been critical of the defence ministry for not being able to get military gains in Ukraine after the invasion.
According to reports, he attended a Kremlin ceremony last year where President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the annexation of four partly occupied regions of Ukraine by Russia.
“We’ll conquer everyone, we’ll kill everyone, we’ll loot whoever we need to, and everything will be just as we like it,” Tatarsky was quoted as saying at the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Russia is pointing fingers at Ukraine for Tatarsky’s assassination, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying his activities “won him the hatred of the Kyiv regime”. She said other Russian military bloggers were also facing threats from Ukraine.
However, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who heads Russia's Wagner mercenary group that is fighting in Ukraine, said he would “not blame the Kyiv regime”, but a “group of radicals”.
This is not the first time that a pro-war Russian figure has been assassinated on Russian soil. Darya Dugina, the daughter of a Russian ideologue, was killed last August when the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving blew up. Russia had then accused the intelligence services of Ukraine of the killing, a charge denied by Ukraine.