The Russian serviceman killed in a car explosion in St. Petersburg on Thursday, Aug. 27 may have been a military major who served in a helicopter regiment previously accused by Ukraine of attacks on civilians, according to reports published Friday.
The serviceman was reportedly identified as 43-year-old Sergei Sechkov, who served with Russia’s 332nd Separate Guards Helicopter Regiment, Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+ reported.
Independent Russian outlet Agentstvo said it located Sechkov’s father, who confirmed that his son had been killed in the blast. ASTRA also said it independently confirmed details about Sechkov and his wife.
The 332nd regiment was accused by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) in May 2022 of carrying out missile and bomb strikes against civilian targets in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions during Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Sechkov’s name also appears on the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets, which identifies him as a major in the regiment.
Russian media previously reported that a serviceman was killed in the Aug. 27 explosion in St. Petersburg’s Slavyanka neighborhood and that his wife, Anna, was seriously injured. Both reportedly lost their legs in the blast.
According to leaked databases cited by Agentstvo and ASTRA, Sechkov and his wife lived around 100 meters (328 feet) from the site of the explosion.
78.ru also reported that Sechkov had previously told his superiors that he was “on the liquidation list” and regularly inspected his vehicle before leaving.
Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case after the explosion and later confirmed that a serviceman had been killed and his wife injured.
The circumstances and motive behind the attack remain unclear.
On Friday, Aug. 28, Russian outlet Fontanka reported that a 24-year-old woman allegedly planted the bomb in the officer’s car before leaving Russia via Turkey for Moldova on Aug. 27. The report did not establish who ordered or organized the attack.