RUSSIAN INVESTIGATORS HAVE detained a suspect over a bomb blast that killed a top military blogger in St Petersburg yesterday.

Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency has reported that Darya Trepova has been placed under arrest for 10 days for taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration in February last year after Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine.

According to the Russian interior ministry’s website, Trepova is 26 years old, was born in Saint Petersburg and is a Russian national.

Yesterday’s explosion saw the death of Vladlen Tatarsky, who supported Russia in its so-called special military operation in Ukraine but had also been critical of the Russian military.

He was reportedly killed after receiving a gift statuette rigged with an explosive device.

Around two dozen other people were injured in the attack.

In a video published by the interior ministry after her arrest, Trepova said: “I brought the statuette there that exploded.”

Russia detained Darya Trepova who is a suspect in the unexplained incident that led to the death of military correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky yesterday in St. Petersburg. She allegedly delivered the figurine which contained explosives to the cafe where Vladlen was holding a meeting… pic.twitter.com/MFZf0t8Sin

— Dmitri (@wartranslated) April 3, 2023

When asked who gave her the statuette, she replied that she would tell “later”.

Russia’s foreign ministry paid tribute to Tatarsky yesterday, saying he was among “defenders of the truth” and lashing out at Western governments for failing to react to the attack.

“Russian journalists constantly feel the threat of reprisals from the Kyiv regime,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

© AFP 2022