Woman detained in connection with Russian cafe blast that killed military blogger
Conrad Hoyt
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A female suspect has been detained in connection with the blast at a St. Petersburg, Russia, cafe blast that killed Russian nationalist and pro-war-in-Ukraine military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and wounded dozens of others.
The Russian Investigative Committee made the announcement early Monday morning EST, saying Daria Trepova, 26, was detained after being wanted as a suspect in connection with the explosion.
EXPLOSION IN RUSSIAN CAFE KILLS PROMINENT MILITARY BLOGGER
Tatarsky, 40, was reportedly at the cafe to meet with members of the public when a woman gave him a box containing a statuette that apparently exploded. A patriotic Russian group that organized the event said it had taken security precautions but that they “regrettably proved insufficient.”
Tatarsky had filed regular reports from Ukraine as well as the Kremlin. Tatarsky is the pen name for Maxim Fomin, who had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel. He was known for his strong pro-war rhetoric.
After the Kremlin’s annexation of four regions of Ukraine last year, Tatarsky posted a video in which he vowed: “That’s it. We’ll defeat everybody, kill everybody, rob everybody we need to. It will all be the way we like it. God be with you.”
A video circulating online appears to show a woman, who may or may not be Trepova, entering the cafe with a box in her hands shortly before the explosion took place, as well as photos of the woman inside near Tatarsky.
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Russian media reported that Trepova was arrested at an anti-war rally in late February, according to Nexta, a Belarusian news outlet.