Russia blames Ukraine, oppn for death of blogger
Published: 05:04 PM,Apr 03,2023 | EDITED : 09:04 PM,Apr 03,2023
MOSCOW: Russia alleged on Monday the “terrorist attack” that killed a top military blogger the day before was orchestrated by Ukraine with the help of supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
Russian investigators detained 26-year-old Darya Trepova, who was said to have links to Navalny, and posted a video in which she is heard saying she brought to the cafe a statuette rigged with an explosive device.
Ukraine has blamed Russia’s domestic infighting for the blast in a Saint Petersburg cafe that wounded dozens and killed Vladlen Tatarsky, an active promoter of the Ukraine offensive.
“The terrorist attack was planned by Ukrainian security services with the help of agents working with the so-called Anti-Corruption Foundation,” Russia’s anti-terror committee said, referring to Navalny’s banned organisation.
A spokeswoman for Navalny’s foundation rejected the accusation.
“Alexei will soon be on trial for extremism. He is facing 35 years. The Kremlin thought: ‘It’s great to be able to add the terrorism charge’,” Kira Yarmysh said.
Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported Trepova had been arrested for 10 days for taking part in a protest on February 25, 2022, a day after the launch of the offensive in Ukraine.
The Russian interior ministry published a video of Trepova admitting to bringing a statuette that exploded.
Asked on camera who gave it to her, she said she would answer “later”.
Tatarsky was reportedly killed after receiving a gift statuette rigged with an explosive device during a talk at “Street Food Bar No 1”, located along the Neva river not far from the historic city centre.
“They put (the figurine) somewhere in the back without a second thought... and all of a sudden there was an explosion,” Alisa Smotrova, who was at the cafe, said. — AFP
Russian investigators detained 26-year-old Darya Trepova, who was said to have links to Navalny, and posted a video in which she is heard saying she brought to the cafe a statuette rigged with an explosive device.
Ukraine has blamed Russia’s domestic infighting for the blast in a Saint Petersburg cafe that wounded dozens and killed Vladlen Tatarsky, an active promoter of the Ukraine offensive.
“The terrorist attack was planned by Ukrainian security services with the help of agents working with the so-called Anti-Corruption Foundation,” Russia’s anti-terror committee said, referring to Navalny’s banned organisation.
A spokeswoman for Navalny’s foundation rejected the accusation.
“Alexei will soon be on trial for extremism. He is facing 35 years. The Kremlin thought: ‘It’s great to be able to add the terrorism charge’,” Kira Yarmysh said.
Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported Trepova had been arrested for 10 days for taking part in a protest on February 25, 2022, a day after the launch of the offensive in Ukraine.
The Russian interior ministry published a video of Trepova admitting to bringing a statuette that exploded.
Asked on camera who gave it to her, she said she would answer “later”.
Tatarsky was reportedly killed after receiving a gift statuette rigged with an explosive device during a talk at “Street Food Bar No 1”, located along the Neva river not far from the historic city centre.
“They put (the figurine) somewhere in the back without a second thought... and all of a sudden there was an explosion,” Alisa Smotrova, who was at the cafe, said. — AFP