Suspect in killing of Russian war blogger says she was set up

[May 03, 2023]  (Reuters) - A woman accused of assassinating a prominent Russian military blogger has said she is "insanely sorry" for delivering the bomb that killed him, but that she did not know the true content of the parcel she handed him in a St Petersburg cafe a month ago.

Darya Trepova is now in detention in Moscow on terrorism charges, accused of cooperating with Ukrainian special services to kill Maxim Fomin, who wrote a popular pro-war blog under the name Vladlen Tatarsky.

Darya Trepova, who is suspected of the killing of Russian military blogger Maxim Fomin widely known by the name of Vladlen Tatarsky, sits behind in an enclosure for defendants as journalists and law enforcement officers are reflected in a glass wall during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

"Most of all I want to die," the 26-year-old told the St Petersburg online news channel Rotonda, which posted extracts of its interview online.

"I replay the events over and over in my head ... Why did I simply believe that there was nothing dangerous in the package that I was asked to deliver?" she was quoted as saying.

"The most unbearable thing is that they killed a man with my hands, and maimed dozens. I have always been against violence."

Trepova did not say who had asked her to present the package - a bust of Tatarsky, with explosives concealed inside - to the blogger as he was meeting other supporters of the war.

Having survived the blast, she said she had written herself a letter in prison to convince herself that she should not take her own life.

"I'm insanely sorry for what happened," Trepova said. "I pray for the health of the victims and will try to organise a collection of funds to help the victims of the tragedy recover."

Now in the Lefortovo prison, often used for those suspected of spying and other grave crimes, Trepova said she had been visited three or four times by investigators, but had not yet been allowed to see a lawyer.

Rotonda did not say when the interview had been given.

(Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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