Slain Russian blogger posed threat to Kiev regime – Moscow
Russian journalists face constant death threats from “the Kiev regime and its abettors,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has claimed following the murder of Vladlen Tatarsky. The prominent war blogger was killed in an improvised explosive device blast on Sunday.
Tatarsky, whose real name was Maksim Fomin, was a “danger” and “provoked the hatred of the Kiev regime” with his professional activities, Zakharova claimed. She expressed condolences to his family. The spokeswoman added that he worked courageously to inform the world about what was really happening on the ground in Ukraine.
Russian reporters are “persecuted, literally branded with special labels on digital platforms owned by American internet monopolies and are subjected to a witch hunt in the Western media,” Zakharova said, adding that international rights groups and organizations “silently ignore” this.
None of the killings of Russian reporters are ever met with compassion in the West, while voices in Kiev often describe them as a “success,” the spokeswoman claimed.
“The lack of reaction in the White House, on Downing Street and in the Elysee Palace… speaks for itself,” she added.
The war correspondent was killed in a blast in a St. Petersburg café, where he was giving a talk and meeting with followers. At least 32 other people were injured. The Russian authorities are still investigating the details of the incident, and have not officially commented on potential suspects.
Tatarsky, who gained prominence in Russia as a war blogger and reporter, joined the Donbass militias in the wake of the Maidan coup in 2014 and served with the local forces until 2019. Kiev placed him on a sanctions blacklist in January 2023.
