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Trepova, 26, was charged under the criminal code pertaining to a “terrorist act committed by an organized group that resulted in the deliberate infliction of death on a person” and the “illegal carrying of explosive devices committed by an organized group,” according to a court statement published Tuesday.
Tatarsky died in an explosion at a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg on Sunday, where he was happearing as a guest of a pro-war group.
Investigators allege that Trepova, acting at the behest of Ukraine, brought a “statuette filled with explosives” to the venue and handed it to Tatarsky.
It subsequently exploded, killing him and injuring more than 30 other people. The Russian investigative committee has requested that Trepova remain in detention until June 2.
In Russia, it is standard procedure to keep a suspect in custody for a certain period of time while their trial is ongoing, and Trepova could be held past June 2.
One 25-second video shows Tatarsky standing with the event’s host receiving an unexpected gift. Video shows the blogger taking the statuette out of a box – a small figurine painted gold and wearing a combat helmet in his likeness. The footage then pans over to a woman in the audience, purportedly Trepova.
Russian state media TASS reported that “preliminarily, it was Trepova who handed Tatarsky a figurine with explosives” at the cafe. A witness said Trepova gave the statuette to the event’s host, before moving to a different part of the room. The video itself does not show her handing the statue to the host and Cnn is not able to independently verify the claims.
Another clip, shot from further back in the room, appears to show an interaction between Trepova and Tatarsky before the blast.
At one point Tatarsky calls her Nastya – not her real name. After the statuette is presented, she turns to return to her seat toward the back of the hall, but Tatarsky calls her to sit near the front, which she does.
“Sit here or here. Sit over on the chair,”
Tatarsky said to her.
“I’ll sit over there. I am too shy,”
she replied
At least 32 people were injured in the blast, with 10 people in serious condition, state media Ria Novosti reported, citing the Russian Ministry of Health.
