The cafe blast suspect is charged with terrorism offenses
Moments of the explosion in St. Petersburg, Russia: A witness’s view of a crime against a Russian blogger in the death of an innocent citizen
According to investigators, Trepova was acting at the request of Ukraine when she handed over the explosives to Tatarsky.
In Russia, the procedure to keep a suspect in custody for a certain period of time while they are on trial is common and could be done past June 2.
One 25-second video shows Tatarsky standing with the event’s host receiving an unexpected gift. Video shows the blogger taking the statuette out of a box – a small figurine painted gold and wearing a combat helmet in his likeness.
A witness said Trepova gave the statuette to the event’s host, before moving to a different part of the room. CNN cannot independently verify the claims because the video doesn’t show her handing the statue to the host.
At one point Tatarsky calls her Nastya – not her real name. After the statuette is presented, she turns to return to her seat toward the back of the hall, but Tatarsky calls her to sit near the front, which she does.
State media reported that 10 people were in serious condition with at least 32 other people injured in the blast.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/04/europe/st-petersburg-explosion-video-russian-blogger-death-intl-hnk/index.html
Russian military journalist Maxim Fomin, the Investigative Committee of St. Pete and “60 Minutes” director Yevgeny Prigozhin
After the explosion, Russia’s interior ministry added her to a wanted list and the Investigative Committee of Russia announced her arrest on Telegram.
Human-rights advocates and international observers say Russian police routinely use torture and ill treatment to extract confessions, and Russia’s security service uses coercion and entrapment to recruit informants among Russia’s opposition groups.
The husband of her was a member of the Libertarian Party of Russia. The small political party that she was associated with, the Libertarian Party, denied she was ever a member or supporter.
Ukraine has said little about the explosion, beyond blaming in-fighting in Russia. One of the senior figures in Navalny’s organization has denied that they were involved in the killing of Tatarsky.
The Investigative Committee of St. Pete said that they had opened a murder investigation, but later reclassified it as an act of terrorism because it was committed in the territory of Ukraine.
Ukraine has said little about the explosion, beyond blaming in-fighting in Russia. On Monday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declined to make any comment about the blast.
Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was one of Russia’s most outspoken and ultranationalist military bloggers, known for his ardent pro-war commentary and occasional criticism of Moscow’s battlefield failures. He had a large following on the social media platform Telegram to amplify his commentary on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The assassination of a Russian military journalist has set off an angry demand in Russia for the return of the death penalty, as well as increased use of terrorism and treason charges.
An improvised device went off at an event in St. Petersburg on Sunday and killed Tatarsky. A suspect in the death of a man was arrested in Moscow and is now charged with terrorist activities under Russian criminal code.
On a recent show called “60 Minutes,” a senior regional official said that he wanted to go back to the time when the enemies of the people would get a pick and an axe and have fun at a prison camp.
The head of the Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is from St. Petersburg, visited the café where the explosion occurred on Tuesday and joined the chorus demanding a return of the death penalty.
He said that the death penalty needs to be returned to being used in relation to those who participate in internal squabbling.
The War is Back on the Street: Killing the Russian Revolution, Killing a Giant Lemur: Calling for the Death of a Traitor
The demands from the hardliners go beyond what is already done to stifle dissent and free expression. A law that was expanded in December can be used to identify and prosecute anyone who engages in civic activism or expresses opinions about Russian policies or officials.
Hundreds and likely thousands of civic activists have left the country since the invasion began. Anti-war protests were met with force and mass arrests.
The former president and the security council head are prominent in demanding punishment for dissent and opposition.
In November, he recalled how traitors were dealt with during World War II. “The verdict to such scoundrels was the same: execution by firing squad without trial. If you were a traitor who committed such a crime, you had given up your right to life.
After the killing of Tatarsky, Medvedev said on Telegram that “terrorism is back on our streets,” and blamed those championed in the west as “fearless knights of justice and anti-corruption,” a not-so-veiled reference to jailed opposition figure Alexey Navalny.
The scoundrels are executing their own people because they want defeat for Russia.
There are no negotiations with terrorists. “They should be exterminated like rabid dogs… forgiveness and compassion do not apply to them.”
The senior politician with the governing United Russia party demands that stringent measures against the informal opposition be taken.
According to the deputy head of the “United Russia” group, the opposition has turned into a gang of murders and terrorists during the war.
Already detained on other charges, he was accused of high treason in October last year. His lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov, said the high treason charges related to Kara-Murza’s public criticism of the Russian authorities in international forums.
Currently, according to Article 59 of the Russian Criminal Code, the death penalty may only “be imposed for especially grave crimes affecting life. The death penalty may not be imposed on women, persons under the age of 18, and men who have reached the age of 65 at the moment of sentencing.”
