A Russian court on Thursday sentenced a woman to 27 years in prison for bombing an anti-Ukrainian military blogger in what prosecutors say was a brazen killing ordered by Kiev.
Hardline military blogger Vladren Tatarsky was killed in April last year when a miniature statue given to him by Darya Trepova exploded in a St. Petersburg cafe where he was giving a speech.
A St. Petersburg court announced in a statement posted on social media that it had found Trepova guilty of terrorism and other charges and sentenced her to nearly 30 years in prison.
Trepova, 26, denies intentionally killing Tatarsky. She said she was framed by contacts in Ukraine who thought she was giving Tatarsky a secret wiretapping device rather than a bomb.
She was arrested less than 24 hours after the explosion.
Prosecutors said that when she gave the device to Tatarsky, whose real name is Maxim Fomin, she knew it was loaded with explosives.
In court for the verdict, Trepova sat in a glass defendant’s box wearing a white turtleneck jumper with a large orange knit pattern.
Mr. Tatarsky was an influential military blogger and one of the most prominent members of a group of hard-line correspondents who have enjoyed a huge following since Russia began its offensive.
They publish exclusive information about operations from front-line sources, sometimes criticizing Moscow’s military tactics and pushing for more aggressive attacks.
Tatarsky, who was born in eastern Ukraine, is a convicted bank robber who escaped prison to join Russian-backed separatists in fighting Ukrainian forces when the conflict first erupted in 2014.
He advocated a more aggressive military operation against Ukraine.
Trepova opposed the Russian attack on Kiev.
More than 30 other people were injured in an explosion that tore off the facade of a St. Petersburg cafe.
President Vladimir Putin posthumously awarded Tatarsky the highest award, the Order of Courage, for his “courage and bravery shown in the line of duty.”
– “Sent to death” –
In court this week, Trepova again denied knowing she had been scouted to carry out the murder.
She said she “didn’t mean to hurt anyone” and asked for forgiveness from other victims and their relatives.
“I have not yet admitted the charges, but I accept moral responsibility,” she said.
She said her contacts in Ukraine lied about the contents of the package and “effectively caused the death of the girl with the bomb.”
Kiev denies involvement. A close aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the killing was the result of “infighting” in the country at the time.
The 27-year prison sentence is one of the longest sentences handed down to dozens of Russians who were punished for public criticism and crimes committed during protests over the Ukraine conflict.
The Russian government has accused Ukraine of orchestrating several attacks and killings inside Russia, at times blaming its Western allies in Kiev and opposition groups within the country.
The most high-profile car bomb killed Russian nationalist Darya Dugina outside Moscow in 2022.
Kiev has denied any involvement, but appears to be reveling in a series of assassinations and attacks on prominent backers of the Moscow offensive.
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