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FACTBOX: What is known about explosion of Zakhar Prilepin's car

According to the latest information, the driver died, the writer was injured

© Telegram-channel of Investigative Committee of Russia/TASS

TASS-FACTBOX. On May 6, the car of writer and politician Zakhar Prilepin exploded on Saturday in the Nizhny Novgorod region. According to the latest information, the driver died, the writer was injured. Prilepin was also known as the leader of the political party For Truth until it merged into A Just Russia party in February 2021.

TASS collected the main facts about the attack, which are available for the moment.

Circumstances of the incident

- Prilepin's car was blown up in the Nizhny Novgorod region. According to preliminary data, the explosive device was planted under the bottom of the car, the emergency services told TASS.

- As a result of the explosion, Prilepin was wounded, his driver was killed, law enforcement officials said.

- The Russian Interior Ministry later confirmed the death of the driver. According to the ministry, there are no other victims.

Writer's condition

- As the writer’s press service reported, Prilepin is "all right" after the explosion. This information was confirmed by the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region Gleb Nikitin.

- Earlier, TASS law enforcement agencies reported that the writer was wounded and was conscious. Later, the medical services clarified that Prilepin was taken to hospital with injuries to both legs.

Reaction

- Russia’s Investigative Committee reported that its employees had left for the scene.

- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not comment on the incident, noting that "first you need to get information from law enforcement agencies."

- "Washington and NATO have fed another international terrorist cell - the Kiev regime," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on the incident. There is no official information about the involvement of the Ukrainian authorities in the explosion yet.

Other assassination attempts on Russians

- This is not the first attempt on patriotic figures in Russia in recent months.

- On April 2, 2023, military commander Vladlen Tatarsky (real name Maxim Fomin) died as a result of an explosion in St. Petersburg. According to investigators, the organizers of the assassination attempt were "the special services of Ukraine and their agents, including those from among the Russian opposition hiding abroad." On their instructions, 26-year-old Daria Trepova handed over a statuette with explosives to the military commissar.

- On March 6, 2023, the FSB announced the prevention of an attempt on the life of a Russian businessman, chairman of the board of directors of the Tsargrad group, Konstantin Malofeyev. According to FSB, the crime was prepared by the Ukrainian special services.

- On August 20, 2022, the car of journalist Darya Dugina was blown up in the Moscow region, she died. According to the FSB, Ukrainian citizen Natalya Vovk and her daughter Sofia Shaban, who left Russia after the explosion, were involved in the crime.

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