MOSCOW, Aug 27 (Reuters) – A car carrying a Russian military serviceman and his wife exploded in St. Petersburg on Thursday, killing the man instantly, Russian media reported.
The online Fontanka newspaper in Russia’s second-largest city identified the man as a lieutenant colonel. It said his wife was rushed to hospital.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case after a car caught fire, killing one person and injuring another, although it did not identify the deceased person as military personnel.
The Mash Telegram channel identified the people as a military serviceman and his wife.
Unverified footage posted by local Telegram channels showed police and emergency workers standing in a cordoned-off street strewn with what appeared to be the shards of a torn-apart car.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for a string of previous assassinations of senior military officials and people linked to Moscow’s war effort. Ukrainian sources have claimed responsibility in some cases, while denying others.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on Thursday’s incident.
Most recently, a Russian military officer was killed in a bomb attack on August 13 in Russian-annexed Crimea. A woman was later arrested on suspicion of assassinating him on behalf of Ukrainian special services.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
