A car bombing in Moscow on Friday injured Sergei Zavorotnyi, an adviser to Ukraine's former pro-Russian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, marking the second attack targeting figures linked to the Ukraine conflict in two days.
Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed Zavorotnyi was hospitalized and a criminal inquiry is underway. Azarov fled to Russia in 2014 following the ouster of former President Viktor Yanukovych.
The blast follows a Thursday car bombing in St. Petersburg that killed a senior Russian military officer. Media said the explosive device was smuggled from Ukraine via balloon and planted by a suspect who fled Russia immediately after.
The incidents form part of a broader wave of targeted attacks against Russian military figures. Moscow blames Kyiv for the campaign, while Ukraine's security service (SBU) has previously claimed responsibility for high-profile assassinations, including Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov in late 2024. Recent bombings in August and September also targeted Russian commanders and defense facility directors across Moscow, Yekaterinburg, and Engels.