Russian Air Defense Colonel Killed in St. Petersburg Car Bombing, Explosion Caught on Video

A Russian military colonel was killed when an explosive device detonated beneath his car in St. Petersburg, according to Russian media outlet ASTRA on November 12.

The officer, who was behind the wheel when the explosion occurred, reportedly died at the scene.

Russian television channel 78 identified him as the chief navigator of Russia’s 6th Air and Air Defense Forces Army, although his identity has not yet been officially confirmed.

The bombing took place at approximately 7 am in the Slavyanka neighborhood of Shushary, part of St. Petersburg’s Pushkinsky district. The moment of the explosion was captured by a residential building’s intercom security camera, with footage subsequently circulating on Russian social media.

According to the Russian outlet Fontanka, an explosive device had been attached to the underside of the vehicle and was remotely detonated as the officer drove out of a residential courtyard. Emergency services and security personnel arrived at the scene, while authorities restricted traffic along Kolpinskoye Highway near the site of the blast.

Russia’s Investigative Committee subsequently confirmed that a serviceman had been killed in the explosion and opened a murder investigation. The agency did not publicly disclose the victim’s rank or identity, and those responsible for the bombing have not been identified.

The incident follows another deadly car bombing in the same neighborhood on August 27, when a Russian lieutenant colonel serving in the country’s air force and air defense forces was killed in a similar explosion. His wife survived the blast but sustained injuries.

According to Fontanka, both incidents involved explosive devices that were remotely detonated, although authorities have not established a public connection between the two attacks.

Earlier, reports emerged that Russia has lost at least 9,000 military officers since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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