A car carrying a Russian military serviceman and his wife exploded in St Petersburg on Thursday, killing the man instantly, local media reported. His wife was injured and taken to hospital.
A bomb explosion had killed a Russian military officer earlier in August
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) later confirmed that a Defence Ministry serviceman had been killed in the explosion. The incident comes amid a series of attacks targeting senior Russian military officials and people linked to Moscow ‘s war effort. A woman was subsequently arrested on suspicion of carrying out the assassination on behalf of Ukrainian special services.
The latest incident follows the killing of a Russian military officer in a bomb attack in Crimea on August 13. The agency did not identify the victim but said it had detained a Russian woman born in 1994, whom it accused of carrying out the attack on the instructions of Ukrainian intelligence.
Russia has previously accused Ukraine of involvement in several such assassinations, while Ukrainian sources have claimed responsibility for some attacks and denied involvement in others.
However, the agency did not identify the deceased as a military officer.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case after a car caught fire, killing one person and injuring another.
