Russian officer killed in St. Petersburg car bomb

A Russian army officer was killed and his wife seriously injured when a car bomb exploded in St. Petersburg on Thursday, August 27, 2026. The blast, which occurred in the morning in the city's southern Pushkinsky district, has prompted a criminal investigation by Russian authorities amid a series of targeted attacks on military personnel linked to the war in Ukraine. The explosion took place at approximately 10 a.m. local time as the couple was leaving their home. According to multiple reports, an improvised explosive device detonated inside the vehicle, a Geely model, as the engine was started. The officer, identified as a lieutenant colonel in Russia's Aerospace Forces, died at the scene.