Pro-Putin blogger blown up after receiving unusual gift as woman arrested for murder
Pro-war Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed during an explosion at a cafe in St Petersburg, Russia earlier today.
At least 25 others were injured in the blast, according to information from the Russian interior ministry.
Leading pro-Putin war propagandist Tatarsky – whose real name was Maxim Fomin – died in the explosion which had a power of 200 grams of TNT.
READ MORE: Putin’s soldiers ‘too drunk’ to win war as they blow themselves up and fight each other
He was known for providing a running commentary on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the social media platform Telegraph – where he had more than 560,000 followers.
A woman has now been detained on suspicion of his murder.
(Image: Sky news)
A source told Interfax Russia that a St Petersburg resident, identified as Darya Trepove has been arrested for the prominent blogger’s murder.
The woman, believed to be 25 years old was taken into custody earlier this evening, according to the source.
Adding that officers have reason to believe that Trepova was the one who brought the explosive device into the cafe.
Reports claim that Tatarsky was meeting with members of the public at the cafe owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private army which is fighting for Putin in Ukraine.
(Image: ANATOLY MALTSEV/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
A woman posing as a supporter presented him with a figurine, which is believed to be the source of the explosion.
It is not known whether he was the direct target of the attack at this stage.
However, if he were deliberately targeted he would be the second assassination on Russian soil of a figure associated with the war in Ukraine, as reported by Sky News.
The publication added that a leading Russian official pointed the finger at Ukraine, without providing evidence.
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The claim was rebuffed by Kyiv. Russia’s foreign ministry made no accusations of involvement.
Putin zealot Alexander Dugin – whose daughter Darya Dugina was killed in a bomb explosion – posted a picture of his daughter with TatarskIy.
He wrote: “This is how the history of real Russian saints is created. Real. Not fictitious. Not sucked from the finger. Beating from the heart. If it is not holiness, then there is no holiness”.
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