Car bomb in Moscow injures Ukrainian adviser
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Al Jazeera
Two car explosions in Moscow and St Petersburg targeted people linked to the war in Ukraine, seriously injuring an adviser to a former Ukrainian prime minister and killing a military officer. Moscow accuses Kyiv of carrying out the attacks, according to Al Jazeera.
A car bomb seriously injured Sergueï Zavorotnyi, a former adviser to ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, in Moscow on Friday, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. Zavorotnyi was hospitalised after the explosion and was in critical condition, according to the same source.
The explosion was caused by a device placed underneath the vehicle and detonated remotely, according to initial information reported by Al Jazeera. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation and has not identified any suspect. Moscow accuses Kyiv of being behind this series of attacks targeting people linked to the war in Ukraine.
Mykola Azarov, who served as Ukrainian prime minister under President Viktor Ianoukovytch, told Russian state television that he believed his former adviser had been targeted because of his criticism of the Ukrainian government. Zavorotnyi, 72, had previously worked as a journalist for the Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda and ran an online media outlet critical of the Ukrainian authorities.
The bombing comes a day after a car explosion killed a Russian military officer in St Petersburg, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. Russian media identified the victim as a colonel or senior air force officer.
