A Russian colonel was killed in an explosion in St. Petersburg on the day of the visit by American envoys

A colonel in the Russian army was killed on Thursday after a bomb planted under his car exploded on a thoroughfare in St. Petersburg. The explosion occurred on the same day that American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.

According to the Russian press, the device was attached to the vehicle’s chassis and detonated shortly after the officer set off. The serviceman died instantly, while police closed the nearby highway and began investigating. A bus was damaged, and several windows were shattered by the blast.

The colonel’s identity has not been officially announced. Local media initially reported that he may have been accompanied by an injured relative, but images captured by a surveillance camera indicate that the serviceman got into the car alone.

Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case for murder, without identifying any suspects so far. Some unconfirmed reports claim that the victim was the chief navigator of the 6th Air and Air Defense Army. The attack is part of a series of explosive assassinations attributed by Moscow to Ukrainian services, allegations that have not been officially confirmed in this case.