Woman on Trial for Bombing that Killed Russian Military Blogger

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — 

A woman has appeared in court on Wednesday, facing trial for her alleged involvement in a bombing incident that resulted in the death of a prominent Russian military blogger. The victim, Vladlen Tatarsky, tragically lost his life after receiving a bust of himself, which later exploded at a cafe in St. Petersburg on April 2. Darya Trepova, 26, is now facing charges of carrying out a terrorist attack, illegal trafficking of explosive devices, and forging documents. If convicted, she could receive a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, as reported by Russian news outlets.

Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, was known for his staunch support of the Kremlin’s military intervention in Ukraine. He regularly reported on the ongoing conflict from the front lines. Trepova was caught on video presenting Tatarsky with the fateful bust just moments before the explosion occurred at the riverside cafe in the heart of Russia’s second-largest city, where he was leading a discussion.

During her court appearance, Trepova admitted guilt for forging documents but maintained her innocence regarding the charges of carrying out a terrorist attack and illegal trafficking of explosives. She claimed that she had no knowledge of the bust containing a bomb, according to Russian media reports.

Accompanying Trepova in the trial is her 27-year-old acquaintance, Dmitry Kasintsev, who is currently under house arrest. Trepova had sought shelter in Kasintsev’s apartment after the blast. The authorities have charged him with concealing a grave crime. In court, Kasintsev expressed his willingness to plead guilty to a lesser charge of not reporting a crime.

The presiding judge stated that one of the blast’s injured victims had tragically passed away, without providing further details on the connection to the incident. The hearing has been adjourned until Friday.

The Russian authorities have attributed the bombing to Ukrainian intelligence agencies. While the authorities in Kyiv have not directly responded to these allegations, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the incident as part of Russia’s internal turmoil.

According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the bombing was orchestrated by a Ukrainian citizen named Yuriy Denysov. The FSB claims that Denysov collected information on Tatarsky and supplied Trepova with explosives through a courier service, acting on orders from the Ukrainian security services.

Vladlen Tatarsky, known by his pen name Maxim Fomin, had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on his Telegram messaging app channel. After the outbreak of the Moscow-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine in 2014, he joined the separatists and fought on the front lines for several years before transitioning to blogging.

Military bloggers have gained increasing prominence in Russia amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. While they support the Kremlin’s stance, they often criticize the country’s military leadership and expose various flaws within the system. Unlike independent media outlets or opposition figures, military bloggers have not faced any crackdown for their critical views.