Car bombings in Russia kill military officer, injure ex-Ukraine PM adviser

What the report says

Russian investigators say a car bombing in Moscow on Friday critically injured Sergei Zavorotnyi, a former adviser to ex-Ukrainian prime minister Mykola Azarov, a day after a separate blast in St Petersburg killed a Russian military officer. Al Jazeera reported that both incidents involved explosive devices apparently planted under vehicles and detonated remotely while the victims were driving. Moscow has blamed Kyiv for a series of attacks on people linked to the war in Ukraine, although no suspect was identified in either case and Ukrainian authorities had not commented.

According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, Zavorotnyi was hospitalized after the Moscow explosion. Russian media said he suffered severe injuries, including the loss of an arm, and was in a coma, though those details came from local outlets rather than the investigators. Azarov, who lives in Russia, said he was shocked by the attack and suggested his former aide may have been targeted because of criticism of the Ukrainian government.

The reports place the incidents amid a broader pattern of bombings and shootings inside Russia connected to the war. Zavorotnyi had previously worked in Russian media and later wrote and edited material critical of Ukrainian authorities. Al Jazeera’s report noted that the St Petersburg victim was described variously by Russian outlets as a colonel or senior air force officer, while official investigators only confirmed that a serviceman was killed.