A woman suspected of involvement in a bombing that killed a Russian military blogger at a St Petersburg cafe should stay in custody for two months pending an investigation, a court in Moscow ruled on Tuesday.
The blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, was an ardent supporter of the war in Ukraine and filed regular reports on the fighting from the front lines. He was killed on Sunday as he led a discussion at a riverside cafe in the historic heart of Russia’s second-largest city.
Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating it.
Photo: AP
Police arrested 26-year-old St Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.
The Russian Ministry of the Interior released a video in which Trepova told a police officer that she brought the bust to the cafe.
When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain later.
The circumstances under which Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.
The Russian National Antiterrorism Committee, which coordinates counterterrorism operations, said the bombing was “planned by Ukrainian special services.”
It said Trepova was an “active supporter” of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Last year, she was arrested and spent 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally.
Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in reference to the attack that he does not think about events in Russia and his top adviser described the bombing as part of Russia’s internal turmoil.
While Trepova was arrested in St Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow, where the country’s top investigative agencies are headquartered, an apparent reflection of its high priority.
In a closed-door hearing, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered Trepova to remain in custody until June 2 pending the investigation.
Russian law suggests a life sentence for terrorism-related crimes, but life terms are not handed down to women, who instead face sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust, but did not know what was inside it.
The bombing injured 40 other people, 25 of whom have been hospitalized.
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