Explosion in Russian cafe kills long-time Russian war correspondent, injures 15

ST PETERSBURG, Russia — An explosion tore through a cafe in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Sunday, and preliminary reports suggested a prominent military blogger was killed and more than a dozen people were injured.

Russian news reports said blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed and 15 people were hurt in the explosion at the “Street Bar” cafe in Russia’s second largest city. The reports did not mention any claim of responsibility or provide details of what they called an “explosive device” carried by a cafe visitor.

Russia media and military bloggers said Tatarsky was meeting with members of the public and that a woman presented him with a statuette that apparently exploded.

The building’s facade was reportedly damaged.

Various fires and explosions have occurred in Russia since the fighting in Ukraine began Feb. 24, 2022, without any clear indication of a connection to the conflict.