A Russian military officer was killed and his wife critically injured in a car bomb explosion in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday morning, according to independent Russian media outlets including Fontanka and Kommersant.
The blast occurred around 10 a.m. near a Magnit supermarket on Kulpinskaya Street in the Pushkin district's Selivanka microdistrict. The vehicle, identified as a Geely, detonated as it was leaving a parking space or starting its engine, investigators said.
The deceased officer held the rank of deputy colonel (подполковник), one rank below colonel. Russian independent media reported the man was approximately 53 years old; his identity has not been officially released.
Pattern of Attacks on Russian Military
The blast follows a familiar pattern of car bombings targeting Russian military and security officials that have intensified since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Some such attacks have been attributed by Moscow or Ukrainian sources to Ukrainian intelligence services, while others remain unsolved.
Saint Petersburg has been a flashpoint for such violence. The city, built as a military residential neighborhood and previously visited by Putin when he served as prime minister, has seen previous bomb placement attempts and arrests of suspects allegedly acting under Ukrainian direction—though some plots were reportedly disrupted.
Attribution Unclear
Russian authorities have not publicly named suspects or stated an official cause. Moscow and Kyiv have offered no immediate comments on the incident.
While the pattern suggests possible Ukrainian involvement, investigators have not ruled out internal conflict, personal revenge, or security lapses. The investigation is in its early stages.
