Consecutive Car Bombings Target Public Figures in Moscow and St. Petersburg

A car explosion in Moscow has critically injured Sergei Zavorotnyi, a former adviser to Ukraine’s ex-Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, one day after a separate car bombing killed a Russian military serviceman in St. Petersburg. Russia’s Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal investigation into the Moscow incident, which occurred on Friday when an explosive device placed beneath Zavorotnyi’s vehicle was detonated remotely while he was driving.

Medical reports cited by Russian television channel REN TV stated that the 72-year-old victim suffered severe injuries, including the loss of his left arm, and was placed in a coma. Zavorotnyi previously worked as a journalist for the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda before serving as an adviser to Azarov during his tenure in Kyiv. Following the political events in Ukraine in February 2014, when President Viktor Yanukovych and Azarov left office and relocated to Russia, Zavorotnyi authored a book on the transition and operated an online media platform critical of the Ukrainian government.

Speaking on Russian state television, Azarov stated that he believed his former adviser was targeted specifically because of his public criticism of Ukrainian leadership. The Investigative Committee confirmed that an inquiry into the explosion is ongoing, though official sources have not formally named specific suspects in the case.

The explosion in Moscow follows a similar lethal attack in St. Petersburg on Thursday, where a military officer died after a bomb concealed beneath his vehicle was triggered remotely while the car was in motion. Russian news outlet Fontanka and other domestic media reported that the victim held the rank of colonel in the air force, though official preliminary reports identified him more broadly as a military serviceman.

Russian authorities have attributed both bombings to Ukrainian involvement, citing the similar methods used in each attack. Ukrainian authorities have not issued any official statement or comment regarding either of the two bombings.

Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com