Key facts
- A car carrying a Russian military serviceman and his wife exploded in St. Petersburg.
- The serviceman died instantly, and his wife was hospitalized.
- Russian media identified the deceased as a lieutenant colonel.
- Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case.
- Footage showed a cordoned-off street with debris from a destroyed car.
A Russian military serviceman was killed and his wife injured in a car explosion in St. Petersburg on Thursday, Russian media reported. The online Fontanka newspaper identified the man as a lieutenant colonel, and stated his wife was taken to the hospital. Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into the incident, though it did not initially identify the deceased as military personnel. Footage circulating on social media showed police and emergency services at a cordoned-off street littered with car debris. Russia has previously accused Ukraine of carrying out assassinations of its military officials and individuals linked to the war effort, with Ukraine claiming responsibility for some attacks while denying others. There has been no immediate comment from Ukraine regarding Thursday's incident. Most recently, a Russian military officer was killed in a bomb attack in Russian-annexed Crimea on August 13, and a woman was subsequently arrested on suspicion of carrying out the assassination on behalf of Ukrainian special services.