Russian colonel killed in car explosion near St. Petersburg - Media
Photo: The moment of the explosion captured by surveillance cameras (Russian media)
A car carrying a Russian military officer exploded in the settlement of Shushary near St. Petersburg. According to a source, a colonel was killed, while a family member who was nearby was injured, according to the Russian outlet Fontanka.
The explosion occurred in Shushary, a suburb of St. Petersburg. According to a source, the victim was a colonel in the Russian army. A family member who was nearby survived but was injured.
The name of the deceased and further details have not yet been disclosed.
Russian military bloggers are bidding farewell to the deceased with the words "eternal flight," which may indicate that the officer was connected to aviation. There has been no official confirmation of this.
A car carrying a Russian military officer exploded in the settlement of Shushary near St. Petersburg. According to a source, a colonel was killed, while a family member who was nearby was injured, according to the Russian outlet Fontanka. pic.twitter.com/17lbwWk9fS
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) November 12, 2026
According to updated information from Fontanka, the explosive device was attached to the underside of the car. It was remotely detonated as the colonel was driving out of the courtyard. The officer was alone in the vehicle.
The 78 TV channel reports that the deceased was the chief navigator of Russia's 6th Air Force and Air Defense Army.
In late August, a Russian Armed Forces lieutenant colonel serving in air defense was killed in a similar incident in Slavyanka, near St. Petersburg. His wife, who was nearby, survived and was hospitalized.
According to Fontanka, in both cases, the explosive devices were remotely detonated.
Car bombings targeting Russian military personnel occur regularly. Over the past two years, at least six assassination attempts have been carried out against high-ranking Russian officers.
In particular, in April 2025, Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff, was killed in a car explosion in Balashikha, near Moscow. In December of the same year, Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff, was killed in a car bombing in southern Moscow.
