The 27-year jail sentence for Darya Trepova ,underscores the severity of the charges related to the cafe bomb killing of Tatarsky.
The geopolitical tension between Russia and Ukraine further complicates the context of the case.
The tragic events surrounding the death of blogger Tatarsky and the subsequent conviction of Daria Trepova are entwined with geographical complexities and personal narratives.
Credit: REUTERS
At the conference on that tragic day, Tatarsky, a famous blogger with most of his followers, faced a moment when a bomb hidden in a sculpture sent by Trepova brought his end. This explosion not only caused harm to his life but also to the people who were frightened. Trepova, 26, denies the allegation, saying she even admitted the sculpture contained only one listening device.
The severity of Trepova’s sentence, the largest in Russia’s history, reflects the seriousness of the charges against her. He has been charged with a terrorist act committed by an organized group and by the Expert Group on charges of being in possession of an illegally placed explosive device. She becomes the central character of a complex legal and geographical drama.
Russian investigators have accused Ukraine of involvement in the attack, although Ukrainian officials have remained silent on this. However, Trepova admitted in court that she had followed orders from a mysterious figure known as ‘Gestalt’, whose identity is unknown. Contact with Gestalt was established through Ukrainian journalist Roman Popkov. Trepova, who was against Russia’s involvement in the war, expressed a desire to work there as a journalist.
Her interview points to a mysterious trap in which she said Gestalt assigned her to win Tatarsky’s trust, namely to present her as ‘Anastasia Kriulina’. Trepova said that the guest in March
Alt sent him the sculpture, which he said contained a wiretap and a tracker. He also expressed concern about the danger of it containing a bomb.
Tatarsky’s background adds another layer to this complex story. Born in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, he said he linked up with Russia-backed separatists after being released from prison, where he was serving a sentence for armed robbery. His involvement in the military blogger community led to Russia’s 2022 full-scale award. He criticized Russian officials, condemned the military and even took on President Vladimir Putin on the battlefield. Despite his criticism, he was posthumously awarded the ‘Court of Courage’.
It is relevant that Trepova’s sentence comes as another controversial warmonger figure, Igor Girkin, a former commander of Russia-backed besieged rebels in eastern Ukraine, was sentenced to four years in prison for “encouraging terrorist activities.” The confluence of these events raises the challenges of legal action against individuals associated with the conflict and broader geographic tensions.