Russian investigative committee charges Daria Trepova in deadly St. Petersburg cafe blast

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia charged Daria Trepova on Tuesday of being involved in a cafe blast in St. Petersburg that killed a prominent military correspondent.

“According to the investigation, on April 2, 2023, (Daria) Trepova, following the instructions of persons operating from the territory of Ukraine, brought a statuette filled with explosives to a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg and handed it over to military correspondent Maxim Fomin, known under the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky,” the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement on Telegram.

The statement said the investigation filed a petition with the country’s court for “the election of a measure of restraint in respect of Trepova in the form of detention.”

The blast Sunday killed Tatarsky and injured 40 others, according to the Russian Health Ministry.

The Russian Investigative Committee announced Monday it opened a criminal case regarding the explosion, with a statement later on Telegram that said its personnel detained Trepova on suspicion of being involved.

Russia’s anti-terrorism committee claimed that Ukraine’s special services were behind the explosion, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “I don’t think about what is happening in St. Petersburg or Moscow. Russia should think about this. I am thinking about our country.”