St. Petersburg Blast Took Out Russian Officers Protecting Airspace From Arctic to Kaliningrad

Three senior officers from Russia’s 6th Air Force and Air Defense Army may have been among the potential targets of a car bombing in St. Petersburg on Thursday, Nov. 12, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels, potentially striking a military command responsible for protecting a vast swath of Russian territory. The explosion occurred at around 7 a.m. Only one person was inside the vehicle, which traveled approximately 300 meters (984 feet) before the device detonated, killing the driver at the scene.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to Ukrainian monitoring channel Supernova, the possible victims are: Col. Andrei Khodykin – Deputy Commander of the 6th Air Force and Air Defense Army for military-political affairs, responsible for ideological and political work among personnel. Col. Dmitry Lobodin – Chief Navigator of the 6th Army, responsible for navigation-related operations. Col. Viktor Pozdnyakov – Deputy Commander of the 6th Army for Aviation, with responsibility for the army’s aviation component. The 6th Air Force and Air Defense Army is responsible for protecting the airspace over northwestern and central Russia, making the three officers part of a military command overseeing air defense across a vast territory. Khodykin reportedly lived in the Slavyanka neighborhood, where the car exploded. The 6th Army is responsible for air defense across northwestern and central Russia. All three officers allegedly participated in Russia’s war against Ukraine and were included in the Book of Executioners, a Ukrainian project documenting Russian military personnel accused of involvement in war crimes. Pozdnyakov was identified as one of those responsible for attacks on civilian targets in northeastern Ukraine. Lobodin reportedly took part in Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, while Khodykin was described as a key organizer of ideological and political indoctrination among Russian troops. Other Topics of Interest South Korea Keeps Ukraine Aid Flowing Despite Diplomatic Row Over North Korean POWs Seoul is seeking $100 million in new Ukraine aid despite recalling its ambassador and withdrawing embassy personnel over Kyiv’s disclosure of two North Korean POWs transferred to South Korea. Russian outlet 78.ru initially reported that the 6th Army’s chief navigator was inside the vehicle when it exploded, potentially identifying Lobodin as the victim. The outlet later edited its post, removing the officer’s position and retaining only his rank and military affiliation. The identities of those potentially killed have not been independently confirmed. Suspected bomber reportedly fled to Moldova Meanwhile, Russian outlet Fontanka reported that investigators suspect a 31-year-old St. Petersburg resident of planting an improvised explosive device underneath the car. Russian law enforcement reportedly identified the suspect, but he had already left the country. He initially flew to Turkey before moving to Moldova, whose authorities do not extradite suspects wanted by Russia, Fontanka reported. The alleged bomber had spent a month working as a laborer at a nearby hypermarket, possibly using the job as cover to monitor the military officer. According to another Fontanka report, the suspect retrieved the explosive device from a hidden cache after it had allegedly been delivered by a balloon from one of the Baltic states. The explosion occurred at around 7 a.m. Only one person was inside the vehicle, which traveled approximately 300 meters (984 feet) before the device detonated, killing the driver at the scene. The bomb was reportedly triggered remotely, either by a motion sensor or by an operator monitoring the vehicle. The blast shattered windows in a nearby bus, but its driver and passengers were unharmed. The attack marks the second car bombing targeting a Russian military officer in St. Petersburg’s Slavyanka neighborhood in less than three months. On Aug. 27, a car carrying a Russian military officer and his wife exploded in the same neighborhood. The man was killed, while his wife was seriously injured and taken to intensive care. The victim was likely 43-year-old Maj. Sergey Sechkov, who served in Russia’s 332nd Separate Guards Helicopter Regiment. Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) had accused the regiment in May 2022 of carrying out missile and bomb strikes against civilian targets in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. Sechkov had reportedly told his superiors he was on a potential assassination list and regularly inspected his vehicle before driving. A series of attacks on Russian military figures The latest bombing comes amid a broader series of attacks targeting Russian military personnel and officials, including senior officers killed in car bombings and explosions. On Aug. 13, Russian Navy Capt. 1st Rank Robert Shageev was killed in an explosion in Sevastopol. Before Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, Shageev had served in the Ukrainian Navy and commanded Ukraine’s only submarine, the Zaporizhzhia. He later joined the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Similar attacks have previously targeted Russian military figures in the Moscow region. In April 2025, Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate, was killed by a car bomb in Balashikha, near Moscow. Ukrainian officials subsequently indicated that Ukrainian intelligence had carried out the operation. Another car bombing in April 2025 killed Yevgeny Rytikov, a senior engineer involved in developing Russia’s Krasukha electronic warfare systems. Ukrainian intelligence sources neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attack. The campaign has also extended to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, where Ukrainian partisans and intelligence-linked operations have targeted occupation officials and military personnel. In November 2023, a series of attacks killed Russian-backed officials and military personnel, including a car bombing that killed Moscow-installed Luhansk security official Mikhail Filiponenko. More recently, an explosion at Moscow’s Balzi Rossi restaurant on Aug. 1 killed five people and injured at least 19. The intended target may have been Russian Aerospace Forces Commander-in-Chief Gen. Alexander Chaiko. Chaiko was attending a private birthday celebration at the restaurant. His possible involvement in the attack on Bucha during Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has made him a target of Ukrainian accusations of war crimes. The general’s fate following the explosion remained unclear, with conflicting reports about whether he survived. Russian authorities have not provided definitive information about his condition. Alisa is the Head of News and a correspondent at Kyiv Post, where she leads the newsroom’s coverage of breaking events and global developments. With over seven years of experience in TV journalism, Alisa has reported on international and Ukrainian politics, making complex stories easier to understand. Back in September 2022, Alisa joined the Kyiv Post team.