Daria Trepova interrogated for murder of Vladlen Tatarsky
Russian security forces have released shocking footage of Daria Trepova, the woman accused of being involved in the TNT-laden statue explosion in St Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday that killed Ukraine war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and injured 30 others. In the video, the 28-year-old suspect can be seen chained to a radiator while Russian authorities questioned her about her involvement in the attack.
A woman gave Tatarsky a gold-coloured figurine of himself just before the explosion.
The same woman was later captured on CCTV going past the café with a box in her hand before entering the event, which was held at a venue owned by Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The suspect, identified as Daria Trepova, has previously been arrested for her participation in anti-war protests.
Despite the alleged assassin’s admission of carrying the explosive-filled statue into the café, Trepova’s husband believes she was set up.
Trepova is seen in newly released CCTV footage entering an apartment block in St. Petersburg with a bag over her shoulder and a big suitcase.
An unidentified man holds the door open for her and guides her to the lift, where they share a smile before he leaves. Trepova is then detained and escorted from the flat, as shown in the video.
According to Russian media accounts, Trepova took several taxis around the city for four hours after the assassination before arriving at the rented flat.
She was also said to have bought an airline ticket from Pulkovo but did not turn up for the flight.
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According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust, but didn’t know what was inside it.
The National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counter-terrorism operations, said the bombing was “planned by Ukrainian special services,” noting Trepova was an “active supporter” of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Navalny, the Kremlin’s fiercest foe who had exposed official corruption and organized massive anti-government protests, is serving a nine-year fraud sentence that he has denounced as a political vendetta.
Navalny associate Ivan Zhdanov warned that authorities could use the claim of involvement by political opponents as a pretext to extend his prison term.
He also charged that Russian security agencies could be behind the explosion to cast Navalny’s supporters as an “internal enemy.”
According to Russian media reports, police tracked down Trepova using surveillance cameras, although she reportedly cut her long blond hair short to change her look and moved to a different apartment in an apparent attempt to escape.
Military bloggers and patriotic commentators compared the bombing to the August 2022 assassination of nationalist TV commentator Darya Dugina, who was killed when a remote-controlled explosive planted in her SUV blew up as she drove on the outskirts of Moscow.
Russian authorities blamed Ukraine’s military intelligence for Dugina’s death, but Kyiv denied involvement.
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