According to Russian media, a woman has been arrested after the death of a well-known military blogger in Saint Petersburg. The Wagner mercenary group claims to have captured the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut. The developments in the live blog.
2:43 a.m
Russia: Apparently arrested after death of military blogger
According to the Russian news agency Interfax, a woman has been arrested after the death of a well-known military blogger in Saint Petersburg. She is said to have presented a bust to military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky at a patriotic discussion event. Shortly thereafter, there was an explosion in the café in Russia’s second largest city. About 30 people were injured, according to the Russian Ministry of Health.
According to reports, the suspect had been asked by security guards to leave the room before the detonation. A witness said that it had already been suspected that the alleged gift could be an explosive device. However, the woman joked with the military blogger on her way out and handed him the statuette. After he put them on a table, the explosion happened.
2:27 a.m
Moscow: US behind pressure on Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US of masterminding the pressure exerted by the Ukrainian authorities on the Russian-leaning wing of the Orthodox Church in Kiev. “It is no secret that the regime of (President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy is not independent in its anti-clerical policies. The orthodox schism hitting this sphere of life is a goal that has long been proclaimed in Washington,” the ministry said , without citing evidence.
2:24 a.m
Mercenary group Wagner declares capture of Bachmut
According to its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian mercenary group Wagner has hoisted the Russian flag on the administration building in the hard-fought town of Bakhmut. “From a legal point of view, Bakhmut has been taken,” Prigozhin said in an audio message published by his press service on Telegram. “The enemy is concentrated in the western parts.” The report could not be independently confirmed. In the past, similar statements by the boss of the mercenary about combat events had proved premature.
conflicting parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.