HUNDREDS OF RUSSIANS ATTEND THE FUNERAL OF ASSASSINATED RUSSIAN MILITARY BLOGGER VLADLEN TATARSKY

Sat 08 Apr 2023:

Vladlen Tatarsky – who was killed in a bomb blast – has been laid to rest in Moscow today.

Hundreds of people gathered in Moscow for the funeral of high-profile Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed in a bomb attack in Saint Petersburg.

Tatarsky, real name Maxim Fomin, was killed on Sunday after a woman handed him a bust that exploded in a cafe, injuring over 40 people.

The funeral was held amid massive security and attended by some of Russia ’s most pro-war figures.

Tatarsky, who was a leading advocate of the war and boasted 600,000 followers, was buried with full military honours with goose-stepping soldiers taking part in the ceremony.

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Russian authorities say the attack was orchestrated by Ukraine with help from supporters of jailed critic Alexey Navalny. Kyiv has blamed it on Russia’s domestic infighting.

Mourners, some carrying flowers, gathered at the prestigious Troyekurovskoye cemetery in western Moscow with a heightened police presence.

Some supporters wore the letters Z and V – symbols of Moscow’s assault on Ukraine – on their clothes. Carrying lit candles, priests in white robes led a funeral service at the cemetery.

Tatarsky’s awards were placed on velvet cushions near his coffin.

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The funeral at Troyekurovskoye necropolis came amid an extraordinary claim from a KGB and FSB veteran that Daria Trepova, 26, who handed him a statuette of himself with a bomb hidden inside, was supposed to have died too.

Russian investigators have charged Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old St Petersburg resident, with “terrorist offences” over the bombing.

She has been detained and could face 20 years in jail on terrorism charges even though one senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev has said she was “likely” unwittingly used as a “dumb-headed” accessory who did not know explosives were concealed inside.

While Trepova was arrested in St Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow where the country’s top investigative agencies are based – an apparent reflection of its high priority.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the mercenary Wagner Group was also present at the funeral, Jabbari reported.

“He laid an axe of some kind, we believe on top of the coffin, when he paid his respects. He was the first person to do so before the crowds were allowed in.”

The cafe where Tatarsky was killed was owned by Prigozhin.

In a statement released by his spokespeople, Prigozhin – whose forces are leading the assault for towns in eastern Ukraine – praised the blogger for helping “destroy the enemy”.