Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Woman Faces Trial for Bombing at St. Petersburg Cafe

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — A woman, Darya Trepova, went on trial on Wednesday for her alleged involvement in the bombing at a St. Petersburg cafe that resulted in the death of a prominent Russian military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky. The incident occurred when Tatarsky was presented with a bust of himself, which later exploded, causing his demise and injuring 52 others.

Trepova, 26, is facing charges of carrying out a terrorist attack, illegal trafficking of explosive devices, and forging documents related to the April 2 blast. If convicted, she could face a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison, as reported by Russian news outlets.

Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, was known for his unwavering support of the Kremlin’s military intervention in Ukraine. He regularly reported on the conflict from the front lines. The bombing took place at a riverside cafe in the historic heart of St. Petersburg while Tatarsky was leading a discussion.

Video footage captured Trepova presenting the bust to Tatarsky just moments before the explosion occurred. During the investigation, Trepova reportedly claimed that she had been asked to deliver the statuette but was unaware of its contents.

Accompanying Trepova on trial is her 27-year-old acquaintance, Dmitry Kasintsev, who is currently under house arrest. The authorities have charged Kasintsev with concealing a grave crime, as Trepova had stayed in his apartment after the bombing.

Russian authorities have attributed the bombing to Ukrainian intelligence agencies, alleging their involvement in orchestrating the attack. However, Ukrainian authorities have not directly responded to these accusations. A close adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the bombing as part of Russia’s internal turmoil.

The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) claimed that a Ukrainian citizen named Yuriy Denysov had gathered information about Tatarsky and supplied Trepova with explosives through a courier service. According to the FSB, Denysov acted on orders from the Ukrainian security services.

Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had a significant following on his Telegram messaging app channel. He joined separatist forces in eastern Ukraine in 2014, following a Moscow-backed insurgency, and fought on the front lines for several years before turning to blogging.

Military bloggers have gained prominence in Russia, particularly during the conflict in Ukraine. While they support the Kremlin, they often criticize Russia’s military leadership and expose various military flaws. Unlike independent media or opposition figures, military bloggers have not faced any crackdown for their criticism.

The FSB alleged that Trepova was a supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. They claimed that Navalny’s top allies, Ivan Zhdanov and Leonid Volkov, have repeatedly called for subversive activities in Russia.

Ivan Zhdanov has raised concerns that authorities might exploit the explosion to extend Navalny’s prison term. Navalny is currently serving a 19-year sentence in a penal colony east of Moscow after being convicted on extremism charges, which he believes are false.

In a letter to the St. Petersburg news outlet Bumaga, Trepova claimed that a journalist and a military blogger she knew had asked her to attend Tatarsky’s speaking engagements as part of a journalistic investigation. She stated that she had no idea it would lead to a deadly explosion and did not disclose the identity of the journalist in the letter.

The trial will shed further light on the events surrounding the bombing and determine the extent of Trepova’s involvement. The outcome of this trial will have significant implications for both Russia and Ukraine, as tensions continue to brew between the two nations.

The Associated Press

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