Moscow car bomb injures ex-adviser

A car explosion in central Moscow on Friday left Sergei Zavorotnyi in critical condition. The blast marked the second vehicle bombing in Russia within 48 hours. Both incidents appear connected to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Zavorotnyi, 72, was hospitalized after the device detonated inside his vehicle. Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed the attack but did not name suspects while a criminal inquiry proceeds. REN TV reported that the former journalist is in a coma.

The victim previously served as an adviser to Mykola Azarov. Azarov was prime minister of Ukraine until February 2014, when he fled to Russia following the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych. Azarov, who now resides in Moscow, told state television that he believes Zavorotnyi was targeted for his criticism of Ukrainian authorities.

Zavorotnyi worked as a journalist for Komsomolskaya Pravda before joining Azarov's team. He authored a book on Yanukovych's removal and ran an online media outlet that frequently criticized Kyiv. The U.S. Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence identified him as an officer with Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service in a report on the 2016 election interference.

The attack follows a similar bombing in St. Petersburg on Thursday. A military serviceman died when a bomb exploded in his car. The Investigative Committee did not initially identify the victim. The Fontanka news outlet identified him as a colonel. Other Russian media described him as a senior air force officer.

Fontanka reported that the bomb was transported from Ukraine to Russia in a balloon. A man who worked at a grocery store near the victim's apartment allegedly planted the device on instructions from Ukraine's spy agency. The outlet claimed the man fled Russia immediately after the explosion.

Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented on the Moscow or St. Petersburg bombings. Moscow has blamed Kyiv for a series of bombings and shootings targeting individuals involved in the war. Kyiv has claimed responsibility for some attacks inside Russia.

In December 2024, Ukraine's SBU security service said it organized the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian military's nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces. Kirillov died from a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his Moscow apartment building. The explosion occurred one day after the SBU filed criminal charges against him.

Violence has continued through 2026. In August, a bomb killed five people, including the bomber, at an upscale restaurant in central Moscow. Russian media said the attack targeted Col.-Gen. Alexander Chaiko, the air force chief. Also in August, a bomb in Yekaterinburg injured a drone factory director and killed his driver. In September, a military serviceman was shot in Engels, a city home to a major long-range bomber base.