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Ukraine has been implicated after a car bomb detonated in a Moscow parking lot, injuring two people—one of whom is reportedly Andrei Torgashov.
Knewz.com has learned that Torgashov, a 50-year-old military officer and deputy chief of satellite communications, was tasked with coordinating Vladimir Putin’s war efforts in Ukraine and oversaw aspects of the country’s nuclear program.
Aerial footage depicted an individual approaching a gray Toyota Landcruiser, rummaging around the back seat before moving to the front left door of the SUV.
At that point, the car explodes, spewing smoke and debris in all directions. As the smoke clears, people can be seen converging on the stricken vehicle.
Additional imagery depicts a man on a stretcher and the mangled remains of said SUV.
Russia’s investigative committee has since released a statement on Telegram saying:
“In connection with the incident that occurred on Sinyavinskaya Street in Moscow, as a result of which a car was damaged, its owner and passenger were injured, the investigative bodies of the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the city of Moscow have opened a criminal case.”
“Investigators and forensic experts from the capital's Investigative Committee, together with operational services, are examining the scene of the incident; a number of examinations will be ordered in the near future, including medical and explosive examinations,” the organization said.
Irina Volk from the country’s Ministry of Interior also weighed in saying:
“The injured were taken by ambulance to a medical facility.”
“Police officers are carrying out a series of operational search measures aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident, as well as detaining persons involved in the carrying out the crime.”
While neither agency commented or named Torgashov and his wife, the Russian pro-Kremlin newspaper, Kommersant, claimed it had been told by anonymous law enforcement sources that the two people injured were in fact Putin’s satellite communications commander and his spouse.
However, another local news agency, 360.ru, reported that when contacted, Torgashov’s wife stated that neither she nor her husband were near the attack, nor were they wounded.
Russia Today also disseminated an update of the same theme in the form of a sound bite. In a Telegram post, Torgashov can also be heard saying that the person injured in the blast was not him.
He told the network: “I never had a Land Cruiser and probably never will.”
“I don’t even live in that area. I live in a completely different place,” said Torgashov, who claimed to be enjoying an uneventful morning.
The mystery surrounding the incident deepened even more when a presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, claimed that the blast was not the result of a bomb but rather due to a vehicle malfunction.
“As far as I know, there was a malfunction with the gas equipment in the car.”
The official narrative experienced yet another kink when a later announcement by Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), told the media that there had indeed been an explosive and the culprit responsible for it fled to Turkey.
He further claimed that his law enforcement agency was liaising with its Turkish counterparts who have allegedly tracked down and arrested the fugitive.
Ukraine has since denied responsibility for the attack.