Russian Army Colonel Killed in Car Explosion in St Petersburg: Investigative Committee Opens Murder Case
In the early hours of November 12 local time in Moscow (the evening of November 11 Pacific time), a car exploded in the Shushary area of St Petersburg's Pushkinsky district, killing a serviceman at the wheel. The St Petersburg directorate of Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed that a murder case has been opened over the serviceman's death and that investigators and forensic specialists are examining the scene.
Russian outlets including Fontanka reported that the dead man was a Russian army colonel and that the blast occurred beside a residential area on Kolpinskoe highway as he drove out of a courtyard, with early reports suggesting an explosive device had been fixed under the car and detonated remotely. Several outlets said a relative travelling with him was wounded and taken to hospital, while other reports said surveillance footage showed him getting into the car alone; officials have not confirmed the details and have not released his name.
A similar blast took place on the same stretch of highway on August 27 this year, when a car carrying Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Sechkov of the 6th Army's air defence forces exploded, killing him. Officials have not announced any link between the two incidents and have named no suspects.
(Source: Investigative Committee of Russia)
Source: Investigative Committee of Russia
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：圣彼得堡舒沙雷的 Vitebskiy 大街一带（资料图），汽车爆炸发生在该居民区附近。照片：Dmitry Kudryashov 摄，CC BY-SA 2.5，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Vitebskiy Prospekt area of Shushary, St Petersburg (file photo), near where the car explosion took place. Photo by Dmitry Kudryashov, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
