Moscow Car Bomb Wounds Aide to Former Ukrainian Prime Minister

A vehicle explosion in Moscow has severely injured Sergei Zavorotny, a 72-year-old journalist and former aide to ousted Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, according to Russian authorities. The blast occurred while Zavorotny was driving his black Toyota in the Russian capital. Russian investigators confirmed that he was rushed to a local hospital, where former Prime Minister Azarov informed Russian television that his condition is rather critical.

Preliminary reports indicate that an explosive device was detonated remotely, causing serious injuries. Russia's Investigative Committee stated on Telegram that various examinations, including medical and explosives tests, are currently underway to determine the exact circumstances of the incident.

A Moscow car bombing has critically injured journalist and former Ukrainian political aide Sergei Zavorotny.

This incident follows another vehicle explosion in the Pushkinsky District of St Petersburg, which killed a member of the Russian military. Unnamed sources suggest the target in St Petersburg was a high-ranking officer within the 6th Guards Air and Air Defence Forces Army, though official identification is still pending. Russian authorities view these recent blasts as part of an ongoing series of targeted attacks directed at prominent and pro-Kremlin figures.

Meanwhile, the broader conflict between Russia and Ukraine saw a series of overnight cross-border strikes. Ukrainian officials reported that a hospital was targeted by Russian bombardment, resulting in three fatalities, including a 17-year-old boy, across the southern regions of Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. Conversely, Russian authorities stated that Ukrainian attacks on an industrial facility in the Samara region and an industrial zone in Volgograd killed four people each, while another individual died in the Bryansk border region. Ukrainian representatives maintained that these operations served as a direct response to ongoing Russian attacks on urban centers.

Why it matters

Sergei Zavorotny, now working as a commentator and journalist, previously served as a press aide in Kyiv until the 2014 ouster of pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych. Following that political shift, Azarov fled to Russia, and a 2000 US Senate report subsequently identified Zavorotny as a Russian foreign intelligence officer involved in influence operations. The escalation of targeted car bombings against figures connected to the full-scale invasion highlights the widening scope of security threats within Russian territory.