Russia Cafe Bomb Blast: Suspect Darya Trepova Charged With Terrorism

Russian authorities say a suspect has been charged with terrorism in the murder of pro-war writer Vladlen Tatarsky.

After being detained in St. Petersburg the day before, Darya Trepova was transported to a Moscow court on Tuesday.

She must stay in custody until Jun. 2, the court decided.

Tatarsky died on Sunday in an explosion in a St. Petersburg Cafe where he was scheduled to deliver a speech. Over 30 individuals suffered injuries.

Ms. Trepova was heard confessing that she carried a statuette to the cafe that later blew up in a video that was made public by the authorities on Monday. The video was most likely made under duress, BBC reported.

The 26-year-old did not, however, claim to have known there would be an explosion or to have played any other part.

She was accused of "a terrorist act carried out by an organized group causing intentional death" and the "illegal possession of explosive devices by an organized group," according to Russia's Investigative Committee, which investigates major crimes.

She should be kept in detention, according to the court's recommendation.

"The request by the investigators for Darya Trepova to be kept in confinement has been granted, and the accused will be detained until 2 June," Russian media quoted Judge Valentina Levasheva as saying after the court session, which was held behind closed doors.

The committee also stated that it had proof the assault had been planned by Ukrainian security forces with assistance from the Anti-Corruption Foundation of imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

However, Mykhailo Podolyak, a presidential adviser in Kiev, characterized the explosion as taking place during a "political fight inside Russia."

Tatarsky, 40, was a guest speaker at a patriotic gathering with supporters in the cafe late on a Sunday afternoon. Tatarsky's actual name is Maxim Fomin.

A young lady in a brown coat was seen entering the cafe in a video that went viral on social media. She appeared to be carrying a cardboard box.

Before the woman sat down, the box was seen being put on a table in the cafe in the images. A statue was presented to Tatarsky in another film.

With more than 500,000 followers, Tatarsky was a well-known blogger with a troubled background.

He claimed that he joined the separatists supported by Russia after they freed him from prison, where he was serving time for armed robbery. He was born in the Donetsk area of eastern Ukraine.

He belonged to a pro-Kremlin military blogging group that has gained somewhat of a reputation since Russia's full-scale assault on Ukraine got underway in February 2022.

Tatarsky is one of those who have gone so far as to criticize the Russian government, blaming President Vladimir Putin, the military, and even the generals for defeats on the ground.

However, Mr. Putin presented him with the posthumous Order of Courage on Monday.