A car bomb in Moscow has injured Sergei Zavorotnyi, an exiled adviser to Ukraine's former pro-Vladimir Putin prime minister, according to Russian officials.
Zavorotnyi, who previously served as press secretary to former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, was behind the wheel when his car exploded on Friday morning and was rushed to hospital, the Investigative Committee said. Russia's REN TV channel reported he was seriously injured and in a coma after the explosion.
Background of the Victim
Zavorotnyi, 72, had worked as a journalist for Russia's daily Komsomolskaya Pravda before becoming Azarov's adviser. He also ran an online outlet critical of Ukrainian authorities. Azarov was exiled to Russia following Ukrainian protests in 2014, and Zavorotnyi was later found guilty of high treason in absentia.
Unconfirmed reports from Russia have claimed the former aide has lost his left arm and suffered a brain injury, a broken right leg and broken ribs. No possible suspects have officially been identified pending a criminal investigation, the committee said. Former PM Azarov, however, told state TV he believes his former adviser was targeted because of his criticism of Ukrainian authorities.
Similar Attack in St. Petersburg
The bombing comes a day after a military serviceman was killed in a similar car explosion in the Pushkinsky District of St. Petersburg, according to the Investigative Committee. It did not identify the victim or say who could be behind the bombing. The Russian Fontanka news outlet claimed the victim was a colonel and that the bomb had been flown over the border from Ukraine in a balloon, hidden before it was picked up and used in the attack.
Other Russian online media claimed the victim of the St. Petersburg bombing was a senior air force officer. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on either bombing. There have been a series of bombings and shootings in Russia targeting people involved in the illegal invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has blamed Kyiv for the attacks, while Kyiv has claimed responsibility for some previous attacks inside Russia.
Drone Attacks and Peace Talks
Today's bombing comes as Russia's Defence Ministry said air defences downed 1,198 Ukrainian long-range drones between late Thursday and early Friday. The massive Ukrainian barrage killed seven people, including a 12-year-old, and wounded 17, officials in three Russian regions said. Ukrainian troops have used drones and ground robots to help defend against Russia's army along the around 1,200-kilometer (750-mile) front line.
Russia launched 117 drones against Ukraine overnight, killing at least two people, including a 17-year-old, authorities said. Thirteen people, including five children, were injured in a single Russian attack on southern Zaporizhzhia on Friday, according to the State Emergency Service. Rescue workers freed 14 people who were trapped in their apartments, as the attack damaged flats and the facade of two five-story residential buildings.
Two days of talks with Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi were held this week. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner went in person to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. They also travelled to Dublin, Ireland, to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was meeting with European Union leaders. Mr Kushner said Russia has agreed to include Europe in upcoming talks, after Moscow's long insistence that the continent's governments were part of the problem because they were supporting Ukraine.
