Prominent Russian nationalist Zakhar Prilepin was wounded in a car bomb in the city of Nizhny Novgorod on Saturday. His driver was killed. His daughter, who was traveling with him and had gotten out of the vehicle, was not injured. Soon after the news broke, Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack and accused the West of promoting "terrorism." Two prominent Russian pro-war propagandists have been killed in bombings since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.

With an ideological trajectory that arises from the national-Bolshevik movement of Eduard Limonov and currently a member of the executive of the Just Russia-Patriots for Truth party, Prilepin has been one of the leading voices in favor of the invasion of Ukraine and has even fought in the war. In January it emerged that Prilepin volunteered to go to the Ukrainian front. He also served in the ranks of the Donetsk People's Republic in 2018.

Since the start of the war it has been under sanctions from the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries. In 2014, according to the 'Russian Reporter' magazine, Prilepin was included in the list of '100 outstanding people of the year' in Russia. That year he condemned Russian cultural personalities who opposed the annexation of Crimea to Russia and traveled to the Donbas front as a military correspondent.

Moscow has blamed Ukraine for the attack. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram: "It's a fact: Washington and NATO have been feeding another international terrorist cell: the Kiev regime." He said it was "the direct responsibility of the United States and Britain" but provided no evidence to back up the accusation. "We pray for Zajar," he added.
Although ten years ago he signed manifestos against Vladimir Putin, the annexation of Crimea attracted him to the discourse of Putinism. In late October 2014, Prilepin asked his readers to help Novorosiya, the imperialist project Putin suggested for eastern Ukraine. He routinely extolled the heroism of the invasion and stigmatized the Ukrainian authorities of the day as Nazis.

WOUNDED IN THE LEGS


The explosive device was located under the underside of the car. According to Russian media RBC, a crater formed at the site of the explosion. As a result of the detonation, Prilepin was injured in the legs. The car with Prilepin exploded in a village near Nizhny Novgorod. "Prilepin was on his way to Nizhny to visit his family. The explosive device could be under the underside of the Audi Q7," local media reported.

It is the third such attack in Russia, this time just days before the traditional Victory Day parade. On April 2, in St. Petersburg, there was an explosion in a café where a creative evening of the Russian propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky was being held. On August 20, 2022, political scientist Daria Dugina (daughter of Russian national guru Alexander Dugin) died in a car explosion on a highway in the Moscow region. In both cases the Russian FSB security service said Ukrainian special services were behind the killing, although in the second they extended the blame to Russian dissent. Ukraine denied involvement.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Learn more