The explosion in a cafe in Saint Petersburg, in which a well-known military blogger died, was caused by “an explosive device”, said Sunday evening the Investigative Committee, in charge of the main investigations in Russia and which has opened “a criminal investigation”.
“Today an unknown explosive device detonated in a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg. According to preliminary data, as a result of this, a military blogger, known under the pseudonym of Vladlen Tatarsky, died and 19 people were also injured to varying degrees,” investigators said in a statement, raising the initial toll. .
A well-known figure in the military blogosphere
“A girl” would “probably” have brought the explosive device, according to a source quoted by the Ria Novosti agency. “There was a figurine in the box: a gift intended for Mr. Tatarsky”, adds this source. Aged 40 and born in the Ukrainian Donbass, Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name is Maxim Fomin, was a well-known figure in the military blogosphere in Russia, with more than half a million subscribers on his Telegram channel.
According to the first elements communicated, “at 6:13 p.m. (3:13 p.m. GMT), the police of the Vasileostrovskiï district received information according to which an explosion had occurred in a cafe on the Universitetskaïa embankment, at number 25”. According to details given to Tass by the local prosecutor’s office, the explosion took place in the café “Street Food Bar No. 1” located along the Neva, not far from the historic center of Saint Petersburg.
An open investigation
The Cyber Front Z group, which describes itself on social media as “Russia’s information soldiers”, said they had rented the cafe for the evening. “There was a terrorist attack. We took some security measures but unfortunately they were not enough,” the group said on Telegram. “St. Petersburg police and emergency services are also working on the spot. The causes and circumstances of the incident are being established,” the Russian Interior Ministry said.
The Saint Petersburg prosecutor, Viktor Melnik, went on the spot, indicated the news agency Tass, which adds that “an investigation has been launched”. Vladlen Tatarsky has developed his community on Telegram, in particular by publishing, since the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, videos analyzing the situation on the ground and providing advice for those mobilized, according to Tass.