UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - Russian writer Zakhar (Evgeny) Prilepin, known for his support of Moscow's "special operation" in Ukraine, now in its 14th month, was injured in a car explosion on Saturday.
According to official investigators, an explosive device was fixed to the bottom of his car, killing Prilepin's driver, while the writer suffered wounds in both legs.
The Russian Investigative Committee released a photo of Prilepin's car, showing a large crater left in the wake of the explosion, which completely destroyed the vehicle's front part, where the driver and passenger seats are located.
There were three people in the car — the driver, the writer, and his daughter, who left the vehicle several minutes earlier, as did Prilepin, who started unloading the trunk, while the driver was waiting for him to finish to park the car in the garage.
According to the committee, the satellite-activated explosive device was set to explode when the car arrived at a certain coordinates.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said in a separate statement that a man was detained on suspicion of involvement in the incident.
Maria Zakharova, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, accused the US, NATO, and Ukraine of organizing the attack, adding: "Washington nurtured one more terrorist cell — the Kyiv regime."
"Bin Laden, ISIS (Daesh), now (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy with thugs. (This is) the direct responsibility of the US and Britain. We pray for Zakhar," she wrote on Telegram.
The incident comes at an already tense time, just days after Russia accused Ukraine of being responsible for a thwarted drone attack on the Kremlin.
Kyiv has denied any responsibility.
In August 2002 Russian journalist Darya Dugina, also known for her support of the Russian "special military operation" was likewise killed with an explosive device attached to the bottom of her car.
Another journalist, Vladlen Tatrsky, was killed in a blast in April 2023 in a cafe in Saint Petersburg. An explosive device was put in a statuette, handed to Tatarsky by Russian national Darya Trepova, now in detention.
Russian authorities say they thwarted at least two such attacks, an attempt on journalist Vladimir Solvyov in 2022 and on Konstantin Malofeyev, another journalist, in 2023.