Hundreds Attend Moscow Funeral of Pro-war Blogger

Pallbearers carry a picture and the coffin with the body of Maxim Fomin, known under the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky, during a farewell ceremony at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow, Russia, 08 March 2023. (EPA)
Pallbearers carry a picture and the coffin with the body of Maxim Fomin, known under the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky, during a farewell ceremony at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow, Russia, 08 March 2023. (EPA)
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Hundreds Attend Moscow Funeral of Pro-war Blogger

Pallbearers carry a picture and the coffin with the body of Maxim Fomin, known under the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky, during a farewell ceremony at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow, Russia, 08 March 2023. (EPA)
Pallbearers carry a picture and the coffin with the body of Maxim Fomin, known under the pseudonym Vladlen Tatarsky, during a farewell ceremony at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow, Russia, 08 March 2023. (EPA)

Hundreds of mourners, including the leader of Russia's Wagner private militia group, attended the funeral on Saturday of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed on April 2 in a cafe bomb blast that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.

Russia charged Darya Trepova, 26, on Tuesday with terrorist offenses over the killing of Tatarsky in the St Petersburg cafe where he had been due to talk. She was remanded in custody and could face up to 20 years in jail.

The 40-year-old Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was accorded military honors including a gun salute and an army band at the funeral at Moscow's Troyekurovskoye cemetery due to his past participation in military operations in eastern Ukraine alongside Moscow-backed separatists battling Kyiv's forces.

Tatarsky was among the best-known members of an influential group of bloggers who have provided a running commentary on the fighting in Ukraine. He was often scathing about Russia's defense establishment but strongly backed Moscow's actions in Ukraine and said they should be pursued more aggressively.

"Vladlen has proven that today the front line passes everywhere: in the zone of military action, in the rear, and in cities, hearts and minds," said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the Telegram messaging app, noting he had died "in the center of peaceful St Petersburg at terrorists' hands".

Tatarsky made extensive reporting trips to the front lines in Ukraine and had ties to Wagner group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who on Saturday thanked the blogger on behalf of his fighters.

"Vladlen Tatarsky did a lot so that we could move towards victory and destroy the enemy," Prigozhin's press service quoted him as saying. "He is a soldier who will stay with us, whose voice will live on forever ..."

Prigozhin is also known for his sharp criticism of Russia's top brass over their performance in Ukraine. The Wagner group has been spearheading efforts in recent months to capture the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

Ukraine has not taken responsibility for the cafe bomb blast and instead blamed "domestic terrorism" in Russia.



Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
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Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters

President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday.

"Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do, we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," said one of the sources, a senior US administration official.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top US officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program.

They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan.

The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

When asked about Reuters report, Netanyahu, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News Channel's "Special Report With Bret Baier," said: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that."

"But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," Netanyahu said.

Trump has been holding out hope for a resumption of US-Iranian negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. Talks that had been scheduled for Sunday in Oman were canceled as a result of the strikes.

Trump told Reuters on Friday that "we knew everything" about the Israeli strikes.