Suspect in pro-war blogger death detained, Russian investigators say
Russia’s Investigative Committee said Monday morning that it has detained a suspect in the killing of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky.
The committee said on its Telegram channel that Daria Trepova had been detained “on suspicion of involvement in the explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg.”
Prominent pro-Kremlin blogger Tatarsky was killed in the explosion on Sunday, with reports suggesting a woman had given him a figurine in a box as a gift before the explosion that killed the blogger and injured 30 other people.
Earlier Monday, the Interfax news agency reported that Trepova had been put on the interior ministry’s wanted list, although no link to Tatarsky’s death had been stated.
On Sunday night, law enforcement officers searched Trepova’s place of residence in St. Petersburg and her mother and sister were interviewed, Russian state news agency Tass reported Monday, adding that “according to preliminary data, it was Trepova who handed the figurine to Tatarsky, which contained explosives.”
— Holly Ellyatt
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy to visit Poland this week
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to hold talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda about security issues and economic cooperation, as well as agriculture and the transport of Ukrainian grain via Poland.
Alexey Furman | Getty Images
The visit will take place on Wednesday, with Zelenskyy set to hold talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda about security issues and economic cooperation, as well as agriculture and the transport of Ukrainian grain via Poland.
Zelenskyy will also meet Ukrainian refugees living in Poland, where over one million Ukrainian refugees are estimated to be living as the war drags on. Millions of others have traveled on to other European countries.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Russia’s invasion began over a year ago, donating much of its own military equipment to Kyiv and calling on other European nations to donate battle tanks to Ukraine and fighter jets.
Zelenskyy has made few trips abroad since the war started, with security concerns high on the list of challenges presented by foreign visits. He last met his Polish counterpart last December when he traveled back from his high-profile trip to the U.S.
— Holly Ellyatt
Alcohol seen to be a significant factor in non-combat deaths among Russian troops
Alcohol continues to be a blight on Russia’s armed forces, with Britain’s Defense Ministry suggesting a significant minority of non-combat related deaths have been caused by drink.
“While Russia has suffered up to 200,000 casualties since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a significant minority of these have been due to non-combat causes,” the U.K. said Sunday, noting that a Russian Telegram news channel recently reported there have been “‘extremely high” numbers of incidents, crimes, and deaths linked to alcohol consumption among the deployed Russian forces.
“Other leading causes of…