An infamous pro-Russian combatant turned propagandist, known by the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in a St. Petersburg cafe on Sunday, in an explosion that injured at least 25 others, according to the Russian government.
Footage captured on a cellphone just before the explosion showed Tatarsky examining a statuette of a miner. Tatarsky was himself formerly a miner, and his Ukrainian hometown is in a region known for its coal mining and heavy industry. “What a beautiful guy,” Tatarsky said, while examining the statue, before joking, “I’m much prettier!”
Moments later, the explosives hidden inside the bust detonated, killing Tatarsky instantly.
Tatarsky was best known outside of Russia for his extreme rhetoric, calling Ukrainians “brain-damaged Russians,” urging increased attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and celebrating the massacre of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha. “We’ll conquer everyone, we’ll kill everyone, we’ll loot whoever we need to,” Tatarsky said in a recording after attending a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin in October of last year.
