Bomb in Statue: Pro-War Russian Blogger Killed in Blast

A prominent Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky died in a blast in a St Petersburg café. Russia’s Interior Ministry confirmed his death. Vladlen Tatarsky was a major supporter of the Russian attack on Ukraine. More than a dozen people were wounded in this blast.

It is the second assassination attempt in Russia on persons closely associated with the Ukraine war.

Local media reports said the bomb was hidden in a miniature statue that was handed to Tatarsky as he addressed a group of people in the cafe. No one has claimed responsibility for this assassination. Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had more than 560,000 followers on Telegram. He was one of the most prominent of military bloggers supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. But he was often critical of Russian army’s top brass.

Mash, a Telegram channel with links to Russian law enforcement, posted a video that appeared to show Tatarsky, microphone in hand. He was being presented with a statuette of a helmeted soldier. It said the explosion happened minutes later.

A leading Russian official pointed the finger at Ukraine, without providing evidence. A Ukrainian presidential adviser said “domestic terrorism” was breaking out in Russia.