Moscow car bomb wounds former Ukrainian prime minister’s adviser

A car bomb in Moscow has seriously wounded a former adviser to Ukrainian ex-Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, Russian investigators said, a day after another vehicle explosion killed a military serviceman in St Petersburg. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on either bombing.

Sergei Zavorotny, 72, was driving when his car exploded on Friday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said. He was taken to a hospital, where Azarov told Russian television his condition was “rather critical.” The committee did not name any suspects and said it had opened an investigation.

“A set of necessary investigative actions is being carried out,” the committee said, adding that medical and explosives examinations would be ordered.

Al Jazeera reported that an explosive device had apparently been planted beneath Zavorotny’s car and detonated remotely. Russia’s REN TV channel said he lost his left arm, suffered other injuries and was in a coma, according to Al Jazeera. Those details have not been confirmed by investigators.

Azarov told Russian state television he was “shocked” by the attack, Al Jazeera reported. He said he believed Zavorotny had been targeted for criticizing the Ukrainian government. Investigators have not identified a motive.

Zavorotny worked as a press aide to Azarov in Kyiv until 2014. Azarov served under President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted that year and fled to Russia. Azarov also went to Russia and later tried unsuccessfully to establish a government in exile, according to the BBC.

Before joining Azarov’s staff, Zavorotny worked for the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, Al Jazeera reported. He later wrote a book about Yanukovych’s removal and ran an online outlet critical of Ukrainian authorities. The BBC said a 2020 U.S. Senate report on interference in the 2016 American presidential election described Zavorotny as a Russian foreign intelligence officer involved in influence operations at the time.

In St Petersburg on Thursday, a bomb in a vehicle killed a Russian military serviceman, the Investigative Committee said. It has not publicly identified him or named a suspect. The Russian outlet Fontanka identified the victim as a colonel, according to Al Jazeera, while other Russian media described him as a senior air force officer. The BBC said reputable sources suggested he held a high-ranking position in the 6th Guards Air and Air Defence Forces Army. Those accounts have not been officially confirmed.

Moscow has blamed Kyiv for a series of attacks on people linked to the war, Al Jazeera reported. Neither bombing has been publicly claimed by Ukraine.

The explosions came as Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes overnight into Friday. Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks hit a hospital and killed three people, including a 17-year-old boy, in the Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions, according to the BBC. Russia said Ukrainian strikes killed four people at an industrial facility in the Samara region, four more in the Volgograd region and one in the Bryansk border region. Ukraine described its strikes as retaliation for Russian attacks on its cities, the BBC reported.