A woman from St Petersburg has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the bombing of a cafe that killed Vladlen Tatarsky, a well-known military blogger and strident supporter of the war in Ukraine.
Russia's Interfax news agency reported that Darya Tryopova was arrested. It said that she had been previously detained for taking part in anti-war rallies.
Russian media and military bloggers said Tatarsky was meeting with members of the public when a woman presented him with a box containing a bust of him that apparently blew up.
The number of people wounded in the bomb blast that killed a prominent Russian military blogger in St Petersburg on Sunday has risen to 32 from 25 reported earlier, Russia's RIA state news agency reported.
It was not immediately known who was behind the killing. Russia's state Investigative Committee said it had opened a murder investigation.
Finnish conservative leader Petteri Orpo has won a nail-biting three-way election race, defeating Prime Minister Sanna Marin's centre left.
"We got the biggest mandate," said the leader of the National Coalition Party, after a dramatic night in which the result gradually swung away from Ms Marin's Social Democrats.
Mr Orpo secured 20.8% of the vote, ahead of the right-wing populist Finns Party and the centre left.
The populists won a record 20.1%.
It is a bitter defeat for Ms Marin, who increased her party's seats and secured 19.9% of the vote.
She continues to enjoy high poll ratings and has been widely praised for steering Finland towards imminent entry into Nato and navigating her country through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Shortly after the conservative leader claimed victory, the centre-left leader conceded the election.
"Congratulations to the winner of the elections, congratulations to the National Coalition Party, congratulations to the Finns Party. Democracy has spoken," she told supporters.
For weeks the three parties had been almost level in the polls, and as the results came in it became too close to call. Then a projection from public broadcaster YLE gave Petteri Orpo's National Coalition victory with the biggest number of seats in parliament.
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"I think Finnish people want change. They want change and now I will start negotiations, open negotiations with all parties," he said.
There was a mood of euphoria in the camp, said Matti Koivisto, political correspondent with public broadcaster YLE. "When they saw the projection, it was quite clear they were going to win."
Finns Party leader Riikka Purra congratulated her centre-right rival and was herself delighted with the best result in her party's history.
"We're still challenging to be number one, but seven more seats is an excellent result."
The Finns underlined their success by winning more regions than any other party in mainland Finland. Riikka Purra won more votes than any other candidate and commentators highlighted her party's appeal to young voters by reaching out over social media such as TikTok.
Alamy
Meanwhile, three of the other parties in the outgoing coalition - the Centre Party, Left Alliance and Greens - all rang up big losses.
Now 37, Sanna Marin became the world's youngest leader when she burst on to the political scene in 2019. She headed a coalition of five parties, all led by women.
Despite her successful response to neighbouring Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the election was largely fought on Finland's economy and public debt as all the mainstream parties backed Nato membership.
Many Finns see her as a polarising figure. She came under heavy scrutiny last year when a video emerged of her singing, dancing and drinking at a party. Supporters said the controversy was steeped in sexism and women across Finland and the world shared videos of themselves dancing in solidarity.
Petteri Orpo by contrast has none of Sanna Marin's "rock-star" qualities, says YLE's Matti Koivisto.
"He's a career politician. He's been in the game since the 1990s and he's quite stable and calm. There is criticism that maybe he's too dull and calm, but it also works quite well in Finland."
The conservatives will have the first opportunity in forming a government, and if they succeed, Mr Orpo, 53, will become the next prime minister.
Under an Orpo-led government, Europe could expect a pro-European conservative from the liberal centre of his party with an emphasis on economic policy.
Less exciting than Sanna Marin and very moderate, says Vesa Vares, professor of contemporary history at the University of Turku: "A sort of dream son-in-law."
Under Finland's system of proportional representation he will have to muster more than 100 seats in the 200-seat parliament to run the country, and that will not be straightforward.
Mr Orpo really has two choices ahead of him, either forming a right-wing coalition with Riikka Purra's nationalist Finns Party or reaching an agreement with Sanna Marin's Social Democrats.
"The Finns are a very difficult partner because they're so inexperienced and they have MPs who are discontented towards almost anything," says Prof Vares.
"The most natural thing would be to co-operate with the Social Democrats. But [Sanna Marin] used to belong to her party's left wing and it's obvious she doesn't like the conservatives."
Politics researcher Jenni Karimaki of the University of Helsinki also points out that Ms Marin has been reluctant to say what her aspirations are.
The Social Democrats have mixed feelings, she says, because while they increased their seats in parliament, they were unable to become the biggest party and renew their premiership.
"But Finnish political culture is known for its flexibility. They are known for their ability to negotiate and form compromises."
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
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A pro-Putin military blogger was killed and 30 others injured in an explosion in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday, the TASS news agency reported.
Vladlen Tatarsky died as he was leading a discussion at the cafe on the bank of the Neva River in the historic heart of the city. Some reports said a bomb was embedded in a bust of the blogger that was given to him as a gift.
Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that a St Petersburg woman, Darya Tryopova, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the bombing. It said that she had been previously detained for taking part in anti-war rallies.
Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had more than 560,000 followers on Telegram and was one of the most prominent of the influential military bloggers who have provided an often critical running commentary on Russia's war in Ukraine.
Born in the Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland, Tatarsky worked as a coal miner before starting a furniture business. When he ran into financial difficulties, he robbed a bank and was sentenced to prison. He fled from custody after a Russia-backed separatist rebellion engulfed the Donbas in 2014, weeks after Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Then he joined separatist rebels and fought on the front line before turning to blogging. Tatarsky was known for his blustery pronouncements and ardent pro-war rhetoric.
A well-known Russian military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky is reported to have been killed in a St Petersburg explosion
He was among hundreds of attendees at a lavish Kremlin ceremony last September to proclaim Russia's annexation of four partly occupied regions of Ukraine, a move that most countries at the UN condemned as illegal.
“We'll defeat everyone, we'll kill everyone, we'll rob everyone we need to. Everything will be as we like it,” he was shown saying in a video clip on that occasion.
A St Petersburg website said the explosion on Sunday took place at a cafe that had at one time belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private army that is fighting for Russia in Ukraine. There was no indication who was behind the blast.
If Tatarsky was deliberately targeted, it would be the second assassination on Russian soil of a high-profile figure associated with the war in Ukraine.
Russian investigators and police officers stand at the side of an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia
Russia's Federal Security Service accused Ukraine's secret services last August of killing Darya Dugina, the daughter of an ultra-nationalist, in a car bomb attack near Moscow that President Vladimir Putin called “evil”.
Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed leader of the part of Ukraine's Donetsk province that is occupied by Russia, suggested publicly that Ukraine was to blame.
“He was killed vilely. Terrorists cannot do otherwise. The Kyiv regime is a terrorist regime. It needs to be destroyed, there's no other way to stop it,” he said. Ukraine denied involvement.
Retired Air Vice Marshall Sean Bell told Sky News there is not enough detail to suggest who was behind the incident, but feels it would be “unlikely” the Ukrainian government was involved.
Following the blast, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Twitter that the “spiders are eating each other in a jar”, suggesting Russia is facing a troubled time because of its invasion.
Russia's war bloggers, an assortment of military correspondents and freelance commentators with army backgrounds, have enjoyed broad freedom from the Kremlin to publish hard-hitting views on the war, now in its 14th month. Mr Putin even made one of them a member of his human rights council last year.
“He was in the hottest spots of the special military operation and he always came out alive. But the war found him in a Petersburg cafe,” said Semyon Pegov, who blogs under the name War Gonzo.
Alexander Khodakovsky, a leading pro-Moscow figure in eastern Ukraine, wrote: “Max, if you were a nobody, you'd have died of 'vodka and headcolds'. But you were dangerous to them, you did your business like no one else could. We will pray for you, brother.”
It comes as Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told US secretary of state Antony Blinken it was unacceptable for Washington to politicise the case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained and accused of spying in Russia.
Russian Emergency Situations Ministry stand at the side of an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia
Mr Blinken called for the immediate release of the US journalist during the telephone call with Mr Lavrov on Sunday, the US State Department said.
“Secretary Blinken conveyed the United States' grave concern over Russia's unacceptable detention of a US citizen journalist. The secretary called for his immediate release,” US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement that did not mention Mr Gershkovich by name.
Prominent pro-war Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky has been killed in a blast at a cafe in central St Petersburg, Russia’s interior ministry has said. Russian media said a bomb was hidden in a statue presented to Tatarsky in a box as a gift. Another 30 people were injured.
Russia’s ambassador to Belarus says Moscow will deploy tactical nuclear weapons close to Belarus’ border with Nato neighbours Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The comment follows Russian president Vladimir Putin’s recent statement about plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, has called for Russia to free the detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich in a rare phone call with his Moscow counterpart. The American’s plea was rejected by Sergei Lavrov, who responded by saying that US officials and media outlets must “not make a fuss” or try to politicise the plight of the Wall Street Journal reporter.
More than three dozen editors of news organisations from across the world have signed a letter condemning Gershkovich’s detention. “Russia is sending the message that journalism within your borders is criminalized and that foreign correspondents seeking to report from Russia do not enjoy the benefits of the rule of law,” says the letter.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said the heavily fought over city of Bakhmut is “especially hot” right now. The comment, in his regular evening address, came as the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that his forces had raised the Russian flag over Bakhmut’s administration building. Prigozhin has issued some premature success claims before and the Guardian could not verify his claim.
Saudi Arabia and other Opec+ oil producers including Russia have announced further cuts in their production amounting to around 1.16 million barrels per day in a surprise move that analysts said would cause an immediate rise in prices.
Russia has suffered up to 200,000 casualties in the war in Ukraine but a “significant number” of these are due to “non-combat causes”, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said in its latest intelligence update. “Other leading causes of non-combat casualties likely include poor weapon handing drills, road traffic accidents and climatic injuries such as hypothermia,” it said.
Former US president Donald Trump is "gearing up for a battle" ahead of his scheduled court hearing on Tuesday, his lawyer has said.
Mr Trump is expected to fly to New York City from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday to face charges related to hush money payments made to a porn star.
He then plans to return to Florida following his court hearing, where he will address his supporters.
Mr Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, promised that any charges against the former president will be fought vigorously.
"He's someone who's going to be ready for this fight," Mr Tacopina told ABC's This Week programme on Sunday.
"We're ready for this fight. And I look forward to moving this thing along as quickly as possible to exonerate him."
Media reports have said that Mr Trump will be facing more than 30 charges related to business fraud over a $130,000 (£105,000) pay-out to Stormy Daniels in 2016 that was made in an attempt to buy her silence over an alleged affair.
Sources familiar with the case have told US media that the former president is being charged with falsifying business records in the first degree - a felony under US law.
Details of the charges, including what they are and how many, remain under seal. Mr Tacopina has said that he himself has not yet seen the charges.
Mr Trump has been reportedly meeting with his advisors and legal team to plan his defence ahead of his flight to New York on Monday.
Law enforcement officials have told BBC's US partner, CBS News, that the former president will be escorted by members of the US Secret Service on his way to New York.
He is expected to hand himself over to authorities on Tuesday, with a hearing due to take place at 14:15 (19:15 BST) in Manhattan.
Judge Juan Merchan will preside over Mr Trump's criminal arraignment.
The Manhattan courthouse will be closed in the afternoon for the hearing, his lawyer said. The former president will not be handcuffed, but Mr Tacopina added that other details of the arraignment are still a mystery.
"This is unprecedented… I just don't know what to expect to see," he said.
"What I hope is that we get in and out of there as quickly as possible, that it's... a typical arraignment where we stand before the judge, we say 'not guilty,' we set schedules to file motions and whatnot... and we move forward and get out there," he said.
Law enforcement officials - including the FBI , New York City court officers and Secret Service - have been preparing for Tuesday.
The New York Police Department has also reportedly intensified security measures in anticipation of any protests around the city.
AFP
A rally for Mr Trump with Republican House Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has been scheduled for noon on Tuesday in New York, calling for supporters to join in "peaceful protest" against the indictment.
Later on Tuesday, Mr Trump is scheduled to return to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after his hearing, where he has said he will make an address at 20:15 EST.
Around a dozen of his supporters had gathered outside Mr Trump's Florida home over the weekend, waving "Trump 2024" flags and banners at passing motorists, many of whom honked their horns in support - but also disagreement.
They were outnumbered at the site by journalists, photographers and camera crews waiting for Mr Trump's departure to New York.
"We're just here to let him know we have his back," one woman told the BBC. "Just like he's always had ours... he'll go up to New York and beat this very soon."
Mr Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, has accused the Manhattan district attorney of "political prosecution".
He is the first US president - sitting or former - to be charged with a criminal felony.
Other Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have spoken out in support of him and have also accused the district attorney of weaponising the criminal justice system to influence the outcome of next year's presidential election.
In response, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the charges had been brought by citizens of New York doing their civic duty - and neither the former president nor Congress could interfere with proceedings.
Finnish conservative leader Petteri Orpo has won a nail-biting three-way election race, defeating Prime Minister Sanna Marin's centre left.
"We got the biggest mandate," said the leader of the National Coalition Party, after a dramatic night in which the result gradually swung away from Ms Marin's Social Democrats.
Mr Orpo secured 20.8% of the vote, ahead of the right-wing populist Finns Party and the centre left.
The populists won a record 20.1%.
It is a bitter defeat for Ms Marin, who increased her party's seats and secured 19.9% of the vote.
She continues to enjoy high poll ratings and has been widely praised for steering Finland towards imminent entry into Nato and navigating her country through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Shortly after the conservative leader claimed victory, the centre-left leader conceded the election.
"Congratulations to the winner of the elections, congratulations to the National Coalition Party, congratulations to the Finns Party. Democracy has spoken," she told supporters.
For weeks the three parties had been almost level in the polls, and as the results came in it became too close to call. Then a projection from public broadcaster YLE gave Petteri Orpo's National Coalition victory with the biggest number of seats in parliament.
This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
"I think Finnish people want change. They want change and now I will start negotiations, open negotiations with all parties," he said.
There was a mood of euphoria in the camp, said Matti Koivisto, political correspondent with public broadcaster YLE. "When they saw the projection, it was quite clear they were going to win."
Finns Party leader Riikka Purra congratulated her centre-right rival and was herself delighted with the best result in her party's history.
"We're still challenging to be number one, but seven more seats is an excellent result."
The Finns underlined their success by winning more regions than any other party in mainland Finland. Riikka Purra won more votes than any other candidate and commentators highlighted her party's appeal to young voters by reaching out over social media such as TikTok.
Alamy
Meanwhile, three of the other parties in the outgoing coalition - the Centre Party, Left Alliance and Greens - all rang up big losses.
Now 37, Sanna Marin became the world's youngest leader when she burst on to the political scene in 2019. She headed a coalition of five parties, all led by women.
Despite her successful response to neighbouring Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the election was largely fought on Finland's economy and public debt as all the mainstream parties backed Nato membership.
Many Finns see her as a polarising figure. She came under heavy scrutiny last year when a video emerged of her singing, dancing and drinking at a party. Supporters said the controversy was steeped in sexism and women across Finland and the world shared videos of themselves dancing in solidarity.
Petteri Orpo by contrast has none of Sanna Marin's "rock-star" qualities, says YLE's Matti Koivisto.
"He's a career politician. He's been in the game since the 1990s and he's quite stable and calm. There is criticism that maybe he's too dull and calm, but it also works quite well in Finland."
The conservatives will have the first opportunity in forming a government, and if they succeed, Mr Orpo, 53, will become the next prime minister.
Under an Orpo-led government, Europe could expect a pro-European conservative from the liberal centre of his party with an emphasis on economic policy.
Less exciting than Sanna Marin and very moderate, says Vesa Vares, professor of contemporary history at the University of Turku: "A sort of dream son-in-law."
Under Finland's system of proportional representation he will have to muster more than 100 seats in the 200-seat parliament to run the country, and that will not be straightforward.
Mr Orpo really has two choices ahead of him, either forming a right-wing coalition with Riikka Purra's nationalist Finns Party or reaching an agreement with Sanna Marin's Social Democrats.
"The Finns are a very difficult partner because they're so inexperienced and they have MPs who are discontented towards almost anything," says Prof Vares.
"The most natural thing would be to co-operate with the Social Democrats. But [Sanna Marin] used to belong to her party's left wing and it's obvious she doesn't like the conservatives."
Politics researcher Jenni Karimaki of the University of Helsinki also points out that Ms Marin has been reluctant to say what her aspirations are.
The Social Democrats have mixed feelings, she says, because while they increased their seats in parliament, they were unable to become the biggest party and renew their premiership.
"But Finnish political culture is known for its flexibility. They are known for their ability to negotiate and form compromises."
Related video: Russia arrests US journalist on espionage allegations
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A prominent pro-Putin military blogger has died and more than a dozen other people were injured when a bomb went off in a cafe in the Russian city of St Petersburg.
Russian news reports said blogger Vladlen Tatarsky - real name Maxim Fomin - was killed and 15 people were hurt in the explosion at the Street Bar cafe in the country’s second largest city.
Tatarsky was one of the most prominent of the influential military bloggers who have provided an often critical running commentary on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He was meeting with members of the public at the cafe and a woman presented him with a statuette that apparently exploded, according to local reports.
It comes after six civilians were killed and eight wounded in Russian shelling of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine on Sunday morning, a senior Ukrainian official has said.
Kostiantynivka, home to about 70,000 people before the war, is just 12.5 miles west of Bakhmut, the epicentre of fighting for at least eight months as Russian forces try to capture the city.
Russia‘s foreign ministry says Western silence over cafe bombing shows ‘hypocrisy’
Russia‘s foreign ministry made no accusations of involvement in the attack on a cafe in St Petersburg, but said silence in Western capitals exposed hypocrisy over expressions of concern for journalists.
Spokesperson Maria Zakharova, said the absence of reaction in Washington, London and Paris “speaks for itself given their ostensible concern for the well-being of journalists and freedom of expression.”
She wrote on the ministry’s website: “The reaction in Kyiv is striking where those who receive Western grants are in no way concealing their delight at what has happened.”
Bakhmut front line ‘especially hot’ today, President Zelensky says
Volodymyr Zelensky has paid tribute to Ukrainian soldiers fighting against Russia.
Moscow has been sending waves and waves of attacks against the front line city in eastern Ukraine, which has been raised to the ground following months of war.
In his nightly address on Telegram, the Ukrainian president said: “I am grateful to our warriors who are fighting near Avdiivka, Maryinka, near Bakhmut.
“Especially Bakhmut! It's especially hot there today!”
Ukrainian forces have continued to hold on in Bakhmut despite calls from some Western pundits for them to abandon the city.
Now, according to some reports, Russia's offensive appears to be culminating in the city.
President Zelensky added: “The resilience of everyone is the resilience of the whole of Ukraine, helping everyone in a position nearby is helping the whole of Ukraine!”
ICYMI: Pro-Putin military blogger killed in St Petersburg cafe explosion
One person was killed and 16 injured in an explosion in a cafe in Russia's St Petersburg on Sunday, the TASS news agency reported, citing emergency services.
News agency RIA has said well-known military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, has been killed in the explosion.
Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had more than 560,000 followers on Telegram and was one of the most prominent of the influential military bloggers who have provided an often critical running commentary on Russia's war in Ukraine.
He was among hundreds of attendees at a lavish Kremlin ceremony last September to proclaim Russia's annexation of four partly occupied regions of Ukraine, a move that most countries at the UN condemned as illegal.
Pro-Putin military blogger killed in St Petersburg cafe explosion
One person was killed and six injured in an explosion in a cafe in Russia‘s St Petersburg on Sunday, the TASS news agency reported, citing emergency services.
News agency RIA has said well-known military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, has been killed in the explosion.
Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, had more than 560,000 followers on Telegram and was one of the most prominent of the influential military bloggers who have provided an often critical running commentary on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary
It was a month into Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces had withdrawn from around Kyiv and in their wake Bel Trew and her team stumbled on a body by an abandoned Russian camp.
His hands were tied. He had been burned and shot in the back. Soldiers said he was a teenager.
As Bel tried to find out who he was and what had happened, she uncovered a nightmare world: a nation struggling to find thousands of its missing and to identify its dead.
It was a month into Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces had withdrawn from around Kyiv and in their wake Bel Trew and her team stumbled on a body by an abandoned Russian camp. His hands were tied. He had been burned and shot in the back. Soldiers said he was a teenager. As Bel tried to find out who he was and what had happened, she uncovered a nightmare world: a nation struggling to find thousands of its missing and to identify its dead. The Body in the Woods by Bel Trew is streaming now on Independent TV and on your smart TV.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian news agencies said on Sunday, citing Russia‘s foreign ministry.
They did not say what was discussed.
The conversation came at a time of acute tension in U.S.-Russian relations, three days after Russia said it had arrested Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. reporter for the Wall Street Journal, on charges of espionage.
Journal reporter's arrest threatens reporting from Russia
The arrest of a Wall Street Journal reporter on espionage charges in Russia has news organizations based outside the country weighing for the second time in a year whether the risks of reporting there during wartime are too great.
The Journal and other news outlets continued to press Friday for the release of Evan Gershkovich, He was taken into custody by Russian security officials a day earlier and accused of spying, charges the newspaper vehemently denies.
More than 30 press freedom groups and news organizations, including the Journal, The New York Times, BBC, The Associated Press, The New Yorker, Time and The Washington Post, signed a letter Friday to Anatoly I. Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., expressing concern about “a significant escalation in your government’s anti-press actions.
