In a video recently released by Russian authorities, the woman arrested in the hunt for the killers of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a blast at a St Petersburg cafe is heard admitting in a video that she handed over a statuette that later blew up, BBC reported on Monday.
However, in the footage released, she does not say she was aware of the impending explosion, nor does she admit to any further involvement.
The bombing in Russia's second city injured more than 30 people, BBC reported. Tatarsky was a guest speaker at a patriotic meeting with supporters in the cafe, it said.
A social media video depicted a young woman in a brown coat apparently entering the cafe with a cardboard box. Before the woman sat, the box was seen being placed on a table in the cafe. Another video showed Tatarsky receiving a statue.
Darya Trepova, 26, appeared under duress in a brief excerpt of her interrogation released by the ministry.
When her interrogator asked why she was being held, she replied: "I'd say for being present at Vladlen Tatarsky's murder... I handed over the exploding statuette."
When asked who gave it to her, she said, "Can I tell you later, please?"
Darya Trepova: Detainee In St Petersburg Cafe Blast
The attack, according to Russia's anti-terrorism committee, was planned by Ukrainian special services "with people cooperating with" opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The Anti-Corruption Foundation, which has exposed corruption involving Putin's entourage, said it was "very convenient" for the Kremlin to blame its critics.
Navalny has been imprisoned since his arrival in Russia from Germany in January 2021. In August 2020, he survived a nerve agent attack in Russia that was blamed on Russian FSB security service agents.
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