Russian Serviceman Killed in Car Bombing in St Petersburg

A Russian armed forces serviceman was killed in an explosion in the Pushkin district of St Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, after the car he was driving was blown up. Investigators announced this on Thursday, 12 November 2026. The incident appears to be the latest in a series of targeted killings that Russia has previously blamed on Ukraine, according to the Pakistani outlet dawn.com.

The Investigative Committee, the Russian body that investigates serious crimes, said a criminal case had been opened over the murder of the serviceman.

At the scene

Military police cordoned off the area while investigators and forensic experts worked there. A dark blue SUV with blast damage stood on a road strewn with debris. Nearby was an empty passenger bus that also appeared to have been damaged in the explosion.

Earlier cases

Russia has previously blamed Ukraine for the killings of several senior military officers and people linked to Moscow's war effort. In some cases Ukrainian sources have claimed responsibility, while in others they have denied involvement. Ukraine did not immediately comment on Thursday's incident.

Another Russian serviceman was killed in a car bombing in the same district of St Petersburg on 27 August. In recent months, car bombings have also occurred in Moscow and in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Unconfirmed version

The online outlet Fontanka, which has good contacts in law enforcement, reported that a 31-year-old man, who has since fled Russia, attached the device to the underside of a colonel's car after at least a month of surveillance. Citing an anonymous source, the outlet claimed the device had been delivered into Russia by balloon from the Baltic states.

The identities of neither the killed serviceman nor the suspect have been officially confirmed.