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Russian police on Monday arrested a woman suspected of delivering a bomb that killed a well-known military blogger who fervently supported Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Russian officials said Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, was killed Sunday as he was leading a discussion at a cafe on the banks of the Neva River in the historic heart of St. Petersburg. Over 30 people were wounded by the blast, and 10 of them remain in grave condition, according to the authorities.
Russian news reports said the bomb was hidden in a bust of the blogger that the suspect had given to him as a gift just before the explosion.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, the top state criminal investigation agency said that Darya Tryopova was arrested on suspicion of involvement in Tatarsky’s killing. Tryopova, a 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident who had been previously detained for taking part in anti-war rallies.
The Interfax news agency initially reported her arrest late Sunday, but later said that she was on the run while her mother and sister were summoned for questioning. The Interior Ministry had put Tryopova on the wanted list Monday.
Witnesses said that the suspect asked questions and exchanged remarks with Tatarsky during the discussion. One witness, Alisa Smotrova, said the woman told Tatarsky that she had made a bust of the blogger but that guards asked her to leave it at the door, suspecting it could be a bomb.
