Blast Kills Pro-Russian Blogger In St. Petersburg

An infamous pro-Russian combatant turned propagandist aligned with Wagner Group owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, known by the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky but whose real name is Maxim Fomin, was killed in a St. Petersburg cafe on Sunday, in an explosion that injured at least 25 others, the Russian government disclosed, Michael Weiss and James Rushton reported for Yahoo News.

Photo Insert: Tatarsky was a vociferous critic of the Russian military leadership’s management of the war. Pro-Kremlin commentators immediately blamed Ukraine for the attack but Kyiv denied responsibility.

Footage captured on a cellphone just before the explosion showed Tatarsky, a former miner and convict, examining a statuette of a miner. “What a beautiful guy,” Tatarsky said, while examining the statue, before joking, “I’m much prettier!”

Moments later, the explosive inside the bust detonated, killing Tatarsky instantly. Attendees who survived the blast claimed Tatarsky was presented with the statue by a woman.

Russian media reported that 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who had previously been arrested for participation in antiwar rallies in February 2022, was detained as a suspect in the attack, Reuters, the Associated Press (AP), and CNN also reported.

Some observers speculated that the blast could have been the result of the rift between the Wagner mercenaries and the Russian defense ministry.

Tatarsky was a vociferous critic of the Russian military leadership’s management of the war. Pro-Kremlin commentators immediately blamed Ukraine for the attack but Kyiv denied responsibility.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggested that the blast was the result of infighting in the Russian elite. “Spiders are eating each other in a jar,” Podolyak said.

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