Suspect in car bomb attack on Russian nationalist writer charged with terrorism

Russian investigators on Monday charged a man suspected of carrying out a car bombing that wounded a prominent Russian nationalist writer with terrorist offenses.

The writer, Zakhar Prilepin, an ardent supporter of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, broke both legs in Saturday's attack. His close associate, who was in the car with him, was killed.

Alexander Permyakov was charged with committing a "terrorist act" and illegal handling of explosives, the Prosecutor General's Office said in a statement. A court in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region remanded him in custody for two months.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has accused Ukraine and the Western states backing it, particularly the United States, for the attack on Prilepin.

Questions on authenticity of the attack

Ukraine's security services neither confirmed nor denied involvement. Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said he believed Russian authorities had staged the attack.

The US State Department has not commented on the incident.

Russia's state news agency TASS quoted security sources as saying the suspect was a "native of Ukraine" with a past conviction for robbery with violence.

Prilepin was the third prominent pro-war figure to be targeted by a bomb since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia also blamed Ukraine for the deaths of journalist Darya Dugina and war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in the two previous attacks. Kyiv has denied involvement.