Russian officer killed in St. Petersburg car blast; murder case opened

A serviceman was killed on Nov. 12 in a car explosion in St. Petersburg’s Pushkinsky district, and investigators opened a murder case. Media reports identified him as an Air Force colonel and described an undercarriage device detonated remotely, while officials did not disclose rank. The blast was the second reported fatal car bombing of a Russian officer in the Shushary area since August.

• A serviceman died around 7 a.m. on Nov. 12 in a car explosion on Kolpinskoye Highway in Shushary, in the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg.· 4 sources
• Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed a serviceman’s death and said it opened a murder case, with investigators and forensic specialists examining the scene.· 4 sources
• Media reports identified the victim as a colonel serving in the 6th Air and Air Defence Army, while officials did not officially disclose rank or name.· 3 sources
• Reports said the device was attached to the underside of the car and detonated remotely after the lone driver traveled about 300 meters, and a nearby bus had windows blown out without reported passenger injuries.· 4 sources
• The location was reported as the same Shushary area where Lt. Col. Sergei Sechkov was killed in a car explosion in late August 2026, an attack that also seriously injured his wife.· 4 sources