Another 15 people were injured by a reported IED explosion in the café that was hit
A blast rocked the ‘Street Bar’ café in St. Petersburg, Russia on Sunday. The explosion claimed at least one life and left 15 people injured, the emergency services told TASS news agency.
The cause of the incident remains unknown.
The café is located on the Universitetskaya Embankment in the historical city center on the Neva River bank across from the famed Admiralty building.
A military correspondent and blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky (real name Maksim Fomin), was allegedly killed in the incident, RIA Novosti and TASS reported, citing emergency services.
Tatarsky joined the Donbass militias back in 2014 in the wake of the Maidan coup in Kiev. He has since become known in Russia as a blogger and a correspondent reporting on the situation in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Tatarsky also authored several books.
According to Readovka news outlet, the man was holding a recital at the café that was rocked by the blast.
An improvised explosive device was blown up near the stage in the cafe, emergency services report.
