A car bomb in Moscow wounded Sergei Zavorotny, a former adviser to ex-Ukrainian prime minister Mykola Azarov, on Friday. The blast came a day after a Russian colonel was killed in a car bomb in St Petersburg, according to reports from several outlets.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said Zavorotny was injured while driving a car and is receiving medical care in a city hospital, according to the BBC World. Azarov told Russian TV that Zavorotny’s condition in hospital was "rather critical," the BBC World reported.
Investigators have opened an attempted murder case. Kommersant reported preliminary findings that a magnetic bomb was attached beneath the SUV, according to the Moscow Times. The same outlet, citing Kommersant, reported that Zavorotny was driving on Kirovogradskaya Ulitsa in the Chertanovo district and that passersby gave him first aid.
The cause of the Moscow blast is disputed. The Moscow Times, citing Kommersant and Telegram channels, reported a homemade explosive device or magnetic bomb placed under the vehicle. Other Russian outlets have attributed the blast to a fault in the car’s gas equipment. Neither source confirms the cause, and the explosive-device claims come from unnamed Telegram channels and Kommersant’s preliminary findings. The BBC describes remote detonation only as unconfirmed reports.
In St Petersburg, a car bomb on Thursday in the Pushkinsky district killed a Russian colonel, according to 78.ru, which reported that he served in the Russian Aerospace Forces, as the Moscow Times reported. The victim has not been named officially. Sources differ on his unit, with some citing the Aerospace Forces, others the air force, and others the 6th Guards Air and Air Defence Forces Army.
Fontanka reported that the colonel was killed by a remotely detonated bomb planted by a 31-year-old suspect who reportedly fled to Moldova via Turkey. This account was seen in a Reddit news thread summarising the reporting and has not been confirmed by other sources cited here.
Background: a 2020 US Senate Intelligence Committee report identified Zavorotny as an officer of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) involved in influence operations. Zavorotny worked as a press aide to Azarov in Kyiv until 2014, when Azarov fled to Russia after the Maidan revolution toppled Viktor Yanukovych. Vladimir Putin has previously reprimanded top security officials over a wave of assassinations, which prompted tighter security measures.
Some reports suggest Kyiv may have been involved in the attacks. These are suspicions, not confirmed findings. Kommersant says only that investigators are looking into possible Ukrainian intelligence involvement. Ukraine had not commented on the attacks in the reports reviewed, and no Ukrainian response is included here.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has ordered medical and explosives examinations. The investigation into both bombings is ongoing, and no arrests in the Moscow case have been reported. Coverage so far relies largely on the BBC World and the Moscow Times, so key details have not been independently confirmed.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.