Footage has surfaced showing the moment of the blast that killed pro-Wagner Russian Mil blogger Vladen Tatarsky in a St Petersburg, Russia cafe.

The bomb was reportedly hidden in a statue bust that was presented to Tatarsky as a gift. The device was likely command detonated by someone either present at the scene or at least watching the event through a livestream.

The cafe where the blast took place was owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Russian Wagner mercenary unit. Tatarsky was reportedly a friend and associate of Prigozhin.

The woman who delivered the statue, Daria Trepova, a vocal anti-Ukraine-Russian war protestor, was arrested in connection with the bombing. Her husband claims she wouldn't have had the technical ability to carry out the attack and further suggests she was set up by the Russian FSB.

The facts behind the assassination will likely never be known. The Wagner group has created a rift between themselves, the Kremlin, and the Russian military over the way the war in Ukraine is being fought. Prigozhin himself would likely be targeted for assassination if he were to return to Russia, and oddly enough, he is probably safer under constant Ukrainian fire near Bakhmut.

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Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter