Who Was Vladlen Tatarsky? Killed Russian military blogger was convicted bank robber before ‘winning hatred’ of Kyiv
Well-known Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed after an explosion tore through a St Petersburg cafe he was in on Sunday.
Russian officials said Tatarsky, who was a strident supporter of the war in Ukraine, was killed as he was leading a discussion at the cafe on the bank of the Neva River in the historic heart of Russia’s second-largest city.
Reports claimed the 40-year-old blogger was meeting with members of the public when a woman presented him with a box containing a bust of him that blew up.
But who was Vladlen Tatarsky? Sky News explains.
Born in the Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland, Tatarsky, whose real name was Max Fomin, began his working life as a coal miner before starting a furniture business.
But when he experienced financial difficulties, he decided to rob a bank and was sentenced to prison.
He fled from custody after a Russia-backed separatist rebellion engulfed the Donbas in 2014, weeks after Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
Russian investigators and police officers stand at the side of the cafe where the explosion that killed Tatarsky took place
Tatarsky then joined separatist rebels and fought on the frontline before becoming a blogger – and soon became known for his blustery pronouncements and ardent pro-war rhetoric.
He was known for his hardline views, criticising Russian military commanders as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin for being too soft in their approach.
One of his most controversial statements was his support for attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, which he believed would result in more Ukrainian casualties, while he regularly referred to Ukraine as a “terrorist state” and advocated for its defeat.
Following the Kremlin’s annexation of four regions of Ukraine last year that many countries deemed illegal, Tatarsky posted a video where he vowed: “That’s it. We’ll defeat everybody, kill everybody, rob everybody we need to. It will all be the way we like it. God be with you.”
His online presence became well known as military bloggers have played an increasingly prominent and influential role in the circulation of information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tatarsky boasted more than 560,000 followers on Telegram. He was one of the most prominent military bloggers who championed Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, while often criticising Russian military strategy and tactical decisions.
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Who killed Vladlen Tatarsky?
Tatarsky ‘won hatred’ of Kyiv
Tatarsky was sanctioned by Ukraine due to his extremist views and involvement in the conflict, and was banned from entering the country for 10 years.
Any assets belonging to him that were found in Ukraine were also confiscated.
But Tatarsky continued to promote his views and beliefs through his blog and social media channels despite these sanctions.
Reacting to Tatarsky’s death, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said his activities “won him the hatred of the Kyiv regime”.
She noted that he and other Russian military bloggers long have faced Ukrainian threats.
Read more:
Pro-war Russian military blogger killed in blast at St Petersburg cafe
Ukraine is holding strong – but as war deaths mount its fortitude is to be severely tested
Tatarsky was known for some ‘extremely radical statements’
Many have compared the bombing to the killing of Darya Dugina, a nationalist TV commentator who was killed when her SUV blew up as she drove on the outskirts of Moscow last August.
While Russian authorities blamed Ukraine’s military intelligence for Ms Dugina’s death, Kyiv denied any involvement.
Ms Dugina’s father, Alexander Dugin, a nationalist philosopher and political theorist who is a strong supporter of the invasion of Ukraine, hailed Tatarsky as an “immortal” hero who died to save the Russian people.
“There must be no talks with the terrorists other than about their unconditional surrender,” Mr Dugin said. “A victory parade must take place in Kyiv.”
Known for ‘extremely radical statements’
Christo Grozev, from the renowned investigative reporting website Bellingcat said the Russian blogger was known for some “extremely radical statements”.
These included disparaging the official Russian military forces and praising the Wagner Group mercenaries.
Mr Grozev added it is important to remember that Tatarsky was a soldier who participated in the 2014 invasion of Ukraine, not just a blogger.
Discussing the blast, Mr Grozev told Sky News: “At this point nothing is certain. It could well be that this was a Ukrainian operation.
“It might also be an operation of Russian security services as a false flag operation to consolidate the pro-war sentiments in Russia.”
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former “thug” and “pit bull”, has been accused of lying about a phone call he says he made to the former US president about payments to ex porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen, a lawyer who worked for the Trump Organisation from 2006 to 2017, has been giving evidence in the case about hush money payments to Ms Daniels – in an attempt to cover up an alleged sexual encounter in 2006.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, called into question an important detail – a phone call made by Cohen to Trump’s assistant, Keith Schiller, on 24 October 2016.
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Cohen, 57, has maintained that during that call he spoke to Trump (who was either given the phone by Mr Schiller or placed on loudspeaker – we don’t know which) and told him he had paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in hush money on his behalf.
But Mr Blanche called this into doubt – showing the jury a number of interactions suggesting Cohen was in contact with Mr Schiller about a different issue at the same time, namely that he was receiving harassing phone calls and texts from a 14-year-old child.
“That was a lie – you did not talk to President Trump on that night, you talked to Keith Schiller about what we just went through,” Mr Blanche said.
Cohen said that, based on his records, he believes he spoke to Trump about the Stormy Daniels matter.
“We are not asking for your belief,” Mr Blanche said. “This jury does not want to hear what you think happened.”
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Donald Trump in court on Thursday. Pic: Reuters
That exchange was part of several hours of questioning which apparently sought to paint a picture of Cohen as someone who is eager to see his former boss behind bars.
Mr Blanche played jurors audio clips of Cohen saying the case “fills me with delight” and that imagining Trump and his family in prison made him feel “giddy with hope and laughter”.
“Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?” Mr Blanche asked.
“Yes,” Cohen replied. He is due to return to the witness stand on Monday.
Michael Cohen (right) was Donald Trump’s fixer. Pic: AP
Cohen worked as the former president’s fixer. He once described himself as Trump’s “spokesman, thug, pit bull and lawless lawyer”.
He once said he would take a bullet for his boss and admitted at the end of questioning on Tuesday that he “violated my moral compass” while working for Trump.
Hush money payouts are not illegal, but Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide it – a claim he denies.
Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in his career.
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm took second place following his switch to Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Ronaldo became the world’s highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr and Forbes said the 39-year-old’s estimated total earnings were around $260m (£205m) – an all-time high for a football player.
Jon Rahm came in second. Pic: Jeff Faughender/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
His on-field earnings amounted to $200m (£158m) while off-field he earned $60m (£47m) thanks to sponsorship deals where brands make use of his 629 million Instagram followers.
Rahm earned $218m (£172m) and joins Ronaldo as the only two athletes to earn over $200m.
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi. Pic: David Kirouac/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Third on the list is record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, who switched to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, which helped the Argentine World Cup winner earn $135m (£107m).
The 36-year-old earned $65m (£51m) in on-field earnings but $70m (£55m) off it from deals with major sponsors such as Adidas and Apple.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James came in fourth at $128m (£101m), while fellow NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks made fifth with $111m (£88m).
France football captain Kylian Mbappe dropped down to sixth with $110m (£87m).
Neymar, who also moved to the Saudi Pro League to join Al-Hilal, is seventh with $108m (£85m), despite sitting out the majority of the season with a torn ACL.
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French striker Karim Benzema, who also moved to Saudi Arabia, is eighth on the list with $106m (£84m), followed by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry with $102m (£80m).
Lamar Jackson is the only NFL player on the list, in 10th place with $101m (£80m), thanks to the signing bonus negotiated into his new Baltimore Ravens contract last year.
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