A car bombing in Moscow has critically injured an adviser to Ukraine's former prime minister in the second such attack in as many days and part of a series linked to the conflict with Russia's neighbour.
The explosion struck a car driven by Sergey Zavorotny, who previously worked as an adviser to former prime minister Mykola Azarov, according to Russia's Investigative Committee.
Zavorotny was hospitalised with injuries, the committee added.
It did not identify possible suspects pending a criminal inquiry.
Azarov served as prime minister under Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced from office by protesters and fled to Russia in February 2014.
Azarov, who also lives in Russia, told state TV that he was "shocked" by the attack that left his former adviser critically injured.
He said he believes Zavorotny was targeted because of his criticism of of Ukrainian authorities.
Russia's REN TV channel said he lost his left arm, suffered multiple other injuries and was in a coma after the explosion.
Zavorotny, 72, had worked as a journalist for Russia's daily Komsomolskaya Pravda before becoming Azarov's adviser.
He wrote a book about Yanukovych's ouster and ran an online outlet critical of Ukrainian authorities.
On Thursday, a military serviceman was killed in St Petersburg by a bomb in his vehicle, according to the Investigative Committee.
It did not identify the victim or say who could be behind the bombing.
The Fontanka news outlet said the victim was a colonel and a bomb in his car went off as he was driving.
It reported the bomb used for the attack had been flown over the border from Ukraine into Russia in a balloon and hidden before it was picked up and used in the attack.
The device was planted on instructions from Ukraine's spy agency by a man who had started a job at a grocery store near the apartment building where the victim lived, Fontanka said.
It alleged that the man fled Russia immediately after the attack.
Other Russian online media said the victim of the St Petersburg bombing was a senior air force officer.
Ukrainian authorities have not commented on either bombing.
Several similar attacks in Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 were attributed to Ukrainian intelligence services.
with DPA
Australian Associated Press
