Car explosion in Moscow seriously injures former aide to ex-Ukrainian prime minister Azarov

A former adviser to Mykola Azarov, who was Ukraine's prime minister from 2010 to 2014, was injured when his car exploded in southern Moscow on Friday, 13 November 2026, according to Russia's Investigative Committee and several news organisations.

The Investigative Committee confirmed that Sergei Zavorotny was driving the vehicle and had been taken to a Moscow hospital, and said it had opened a criminal case, Anadolu Agency and The Moscow Times reported. The Moscow Times said the case was opened as attempted murder. No person or group has claimed responsibility, Anadolu reported.

The explosion

The blast happened on Kirovogradskaya Street in the Chertanovo district of southern Moscow, The Moscow Times reported, citing the Russian newspaper Kommersant. Russia's state news agency RIA first reported the incident, according to Anadolu.

Kommersant reported that preliminary findings indicated a magnetic bomb had been attached beneath the SUV, according to The Moscow Times. Al Jazeera reported that an explosive device was planted under the car and detonated remotely while he was driving. The Moscow Times noted that some Russian Telegram channels had offered another explanation, a fault in the car's gas equipment. Investigators have not publicly named any suspects, Al Jazeera reported.

His condition

Accounts of his injuries differ. The Moscow Times said Zavorotny, 72, was in serious condition in hospital, and Al Jazeera described him as critically injured. Al Jazeera, citing the Russian broadcaster REN TV, reported that he had lost his left arm, suffered other injuries and was in a coma. These details have not been confirmed by the Investigative Committee.

Who he is

Zavorotny worked as a journalist for the Russian daily Komsomolskaya Pravda before becoming Azarov's adviser, Al Jazeera and The Moscow Times reported. He moved to Russia after the 2014 Maidan protests that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, wrote a book about Yanukovych's fall and, according to Al Jazeera, ran an online outlet critical of the Ukrainian government.

The Moscow Times reported that a US Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 US election identified him, according to US intelligence, as an officer of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). That identification rests on the report as described by The Moscow Times.

Azarov has lived in Russia since 2014. A Ukrainian court sentenced him in absentia in December 2025 to 15 years in prison, with Ukraine's Security Service saying he had been found guilty of "high treason", Anadolu reported.

Accusations and response

Azarov accused Ukraine's special services of organising the explosion in remarks to the Vesti outlet, according to Anadolu. Al Jazeera reported that he told Russian state television he was "shocked" and believed Zavorotny was targeted for criticising the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian authorities had not commented, according to Al Jazeera, Anadolu and The Moscow Times. The accusation is unproven.

Second explosion in two days

The Moscow blast followed a car bombing in St Petersburg on Thursday, 12 November, that killed a member of the Russian military, the outlets reported. The Investigative Committee did not identify that victim. The St Petersburg outlet Fontanka reported he was a colonel, while Al Jazeera's correspondent said preliminary reports indicated he was a serviceman but not an air force colonel, so his rank remains unconfirmed.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for a series of bombings and shootings against people linked to the war, Al Jazeera reported.