A reconstruction of the bombing assassination of Vladlen Tatarsky (Maxim Yuryevich Fomin b. 25 April 1982) on April 2nd 2023 at the Street Food Bar №1 café in St. Petersburg, Russia. Tatarsky, a Ukrainian-born Russian military blogger, convicted bank robber and particpant in the Russo-Ukranian War, was speaking at an event at a café owned by Yvegeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group. During the event, a woman identified as Darya Yevgenyevna Trepova (Дарья Евгеньевна Трепова b:16 February 1997), a political activist and resident of Saint Petersburg, presented Tatarsky with a golden bust of himself containing explosives.
Initially, the organizers of the event had stopped Trepova from bringing the figurine into the room fearing that it might contain explosives. However, Tatarsky insisted that Trepova bring the gift to him and encouraged her to sit up front. She demurely chose to sit to the far right where she can be seen smiling while extending her arms and covering her face. The explosion occurred shortly after this (one edit of the cell phone video cuts to the explosion immediately after Trepova covers her face), however, detonation, possibly by a remote control, actually occured about 30 seconds later while Tatarsky was fielding questions and placing the bust back into its box.
Tatarksy was the only fatality in the explosion containing more than 200g of TNT which injured 42, six of whom were listed as serious. The force of the blast blew out the front windows and caused the enclosed facade of the café to collapse. Trepova is seen leaving the café dazed but uninjured in a subsequent video, while another video shows the semi-naked and bloody torso of Tatarsky with what appears to be a missing hand.
Russia’s Federal Security Service [FSB] accused Ukrainian special services of organizing the "terrorist attack". On April 4th, Russia's National Republican Army (NRA), which previously claimed responsibilty for the car bombing of pro-Putin journalist Darya Dugina, claimed responsibility for the bombing. Trepova's husband, Dmitry Rylov, a member of the fringe opposition Libertarian Party of Russia, stated his wife would never kill and believed she was framed..
Darya Trepova has been charged with terrorism and illicit trade of explosives, alongside an acquaintance, Dmitry Kasintsev. Trepova was sentenced to 27 years in prison, the most severe known sentence for a woman in modern Russia.
The image is constructed from approximately 125 cell phone videos stills and photographs. The text on the projected image translates as "VLADLEN TATARSKY, THERE IS SUCH A PROFESSION AS WAR CORRESPONDENT".
