Russian Military Officer Killed in Car Explosion in St. Petersburg

A car carrying a Russian lieutenant colonel and his wife exploded on Kolpinskoye Highway in St. Petersburg's Slavyanka district on the morning of August 27. The serviceman died at the scene, while his wife was hospitalized in intensive care, according to Russian media reports. The identity of the serviceman has not been officially disclosed. According to the latest reports, he served in Russia's Air and Air Defense Forces. Investigators have opened a criminal case over the incident and are expected to order a series of forensic examinations. What Happened in Slavyanka The explosion was reported at around 10 a. m. near 18 Kolpinskoye Highway, close to a Magnit convenience store. According to eyewitness accounts cited by Fontanka, the serviceman was driving the car and had just begun leaving his home with his wife when the explosion occurred.