Russia’s invasion of Ukraine propelled former bank robber Maxim Fomin to the heart of Russia’s propaganda machine, taking him from the front lines of Donbas to the grand halls of the Kremlin. His killing in a St. Petersburg cafe, by a bomb hidden in a statuette made in his likeness, suggests that Moscow’s war is increasingly spilling over into Russia itself.
Russian authorities on Monday opened an investigation into what they called a terrorist attack and arrested a suspect in the killing of Mr. Fomin, who blogged in support of Russia’s invasion and was better known by his pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky. Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old woman who had joined antiwar rallies, is being held on charges of carrying out the Sunday attack in a city center cafe where Mr. Fomin was giving a talk, which also injured more than two dozen people, authorities said.
