Car of former aide to fugitive ex-PM Azarov explodes in Moscow – video

A Toyota SUV has exploded while moving on Kirovogradskaya Street in the Chertanovo district of Moscow. The vehicle was driven by Russian propagandist Sergei Zavorotny, a former aide to fugitive former Ukrainian prime minister Mykola Azarov.

Source: Russian Telegram channels; Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation

Details: Reports indicate that the explosion occurred when the car had travelled about 200 metres after leaving a courtyard. The blast wave threw the driver out of the vehicle and onto the roadway.

Early reports suggest that an improvised explosive device had been planted under the driver's seat and detonated while the vehicle was in motion.

Zavorotny, 72, survived the blast. Medics took him to hospital with shrapnel injuries to his chest and back, as well as severe damage to his legs.

Background:

• Sergei Zavorotny is a Russian publicist and candidate of historical sciences who previously worked in the Russian State Duma. During Mykola Azarov's tenure as prime minister of Ukraine, Zavorotny served as his advisor, and after Azarov fled to Moscow, Zavorotny assisted in the creation of the so-called "Save Ukraine Committee" in July 2015.
• Volume 5 of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election identifies Zavorotny as an officer of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service involved in influence operations.
• For years, Zavorotny has supported the Kremlin's policies and spread anti-Ukrainian narratives. He publicly referred to the Revolution of Dignity as a "coup d'état", accused Western countries of "external governance" over Ukraine, managed the Antifashist propaganda resource, and co-authored a Ukrainophobic book about the events of 2014.
• Previously, on the morning of 12 November, a car exploded in the settlement of Shushary, part of the Pushkinsky District of St Petersburg. Russian media reported that the vehicle was driven by a Russian colonel, who died on the spot.

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.