An emergency services representative confirmed to Sputnik on Sunday that the number of injured people has risen to 15 people as a result of the explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg in Russia - however one person was killed.

"The number of victims of the explosion at a cafe in Saint Petersburg has increased to 15 people, according to the updated information," the representative said, with another source adding that famous Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed. 

It seems that an explosive device was brought to the cafe by a young woman who had a statuette in a box, meant as a gift to Tatarsky.

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The moment of the cafe explosion in Saint Petersburg
Military blogger Vladlen Tatarski was killed in this terrorist attack. pic.twitter.com/ZguCPXKcAE

— Spriter (@Spriter99880) April 2, 2023

In response, an investigation has been launched by the prosecutor’s office of the Vasileostrovsky district of the Russian city of St. Petersburg to look into the causes and motives. 

Later on, the Investigative Committee of Russia verified that a mysterious explosive device exploded in a cafe in the heart of St. Petersburg.

According to the committee, there have now been 15 injuries as a result of the explosion, and a criminal inquiry has been opened in accordance with Article 105 of the Criminal Code.

The wounded victims of the explosion are currently receiving medical attention and the situation remains under control, the city government's press office relayed to Sputnik.

"Governor Alexander Beglov is coordinating the work of emergency services, the victims are receiving medical assistance and the situation is under control," a press office official confirmed.  

Vladlen Tatarsky, a war reporter, was killed in the explosion at a cafe in the heart of Saint Petersburg, Russia, according to the Russian Interior Ministry.

"At 6:13 p.m. [15:13 GMT] the police of the Vasileostrovsky District received information that an explosion had occurred at a cafe at 25 Universitetskaya Embankment. As a result of the incident one person died, he was identified as military correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky. Sixteen people were injured, and they are being examined by medical personnel," the ministry said.

Officials from the Russian Interior Ministry have been sent to the area. The causes and circumstances of the event are being determined, the ministry said, and St. Petersburg police officers and emergency services are also on the scene.

The murder of Darya Dugina

On August 21, A large explosion tore into an SUV on a highway 20 km away west of Moscow, instantly killing its driver, who was identified as political commentator Darya Dugina, Russian political analyst and thinker Alexander Dugin's daughter. Dugin the father is an influential veteran political commentator, also known as one of the Kremlin's "ideological masterminds", and an occasional contributor to Al Mayadeen English.

The assassination was carried out at 21:35 Moscow time. Witnesses divulged that the explosion happened in the middle of the road, where debris and metal wreckage scattered in the air right before the car crashed into a fence, according to photos and videos.

Darya Dugina, was killed in a car bombing prepared and executed by Ukraine's special services, The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the next day.

The Russian Investigative Committee determined that an explosive device was hidden beneath the car's floor on the driver's side. The FSB revealed that Ukrainian citizen Vovk Natalya was behind the murder. 

"The crime was prepared and committed by the Ukrainian special services. The performer is a citizen of Ukraine Vovk Natalya ... born in 1979, who arrived in Russia on July 23, 2022, together with her daughter ... In order to organize the murder of D. Dugina and obtain information about her lifestyle, they rented an apartment in Moscow in the house where the deceased lived," the FSB said.  

Following the remotely engineered explosion of Dugina's car, Vovk and her daughter fled to Estonia via the Pskov Region, according to the FSB.

Reports revealed that a Mini Cooper was deployed to spy on Dugina. The license plate numbers on the car were altered three times (numbers of the DPR, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine were used).

On the day of the crime, Vovk and her daughter went to the Tradition festival, where Dugina was participating, and after murdering her with a controlled explosion, they fled to Estonia via Russia's city of Pskov.

The United States intelligence agencies believe that bodies pertaining to the Ukrainian government have authorized the car bomb attack which killed political philosopher Alexander Dugin's daughter, Darya Dugina. The US officials providing the information in question divulged it to The New York Times. 

US officials fear that this part of Washington's covert campaign could widen the scope and severity of the conflict. 

The officials claimed that the US did not provide intelligence or other forms of assistance. The NYT sources also claimed that they were not aware of the operation beforehand, and had they been consulted, they would have opposed the assassination.