A late-night explosion outside Moscow’s Savyolovsky Station has resulted in the death of a traffic police officer and left two others hospitalized with various injuries, according to an official statement from the Russian Interior Ministry. The incident occurred in the station square just after midnight local time on Tuesday (21:05 GMT Monday) when an unidentified individual detonated an explosive device near a patrol vehicle.
The Ministry initially reported that a male assailant had fled the scene but later updated their statement confirming the perpetrator had died at the location. Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the attack, with charges including attempted murder of law enforcement officers and illegal use of explosive devices.
The fallen officer has been identified as 34-year-old Police Lieutenant Denis Bratuschenko, a senior traffic police inspector who had served since 2019. Bratuschenko is survived by his wife and two children. Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk conveyed official condolences from the leadership and personnel of the Interior Ministry to the officer’s family.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are collaborating to establish all circumstances surrounding the explosion, though no motive has been determined. Savyolovsky Station, located north of Moscow’s city center, serves as one of the Russian capital’s primary railway transportation hubs according to Agence France Presse.