Explosion near Moscow train station kills police officer

BBC:

An explosion outside a train station in Moscow has killed one traffic police officer and injured two others, the Russian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Police had been patrolling their vehicle at Savyolovsky Station Square, north of the city centre, when it said “an unidentified device was detonated” by “an unknown individual”.

Authorities are investigating the explosion that took place just after midnight on Tuesday local time (Monday 21:05 GMT). No motive has yet been established.

The ministry initially reported that a male attacker had fled the scene but later provided an update saying that he had died there.

The attacker approached officers from the North-Eastern District of Moscow, the ministry said, providing no further details as to his identity.

Officials have provided no additional information regarding the explosive device so far.

A criminal case has been opened against the perpetrator for the attempt on the life of a law enforcement officer and charges relating to the explosive device.

Law enforcement agencies are working in tandem to “establish all the circumstances”, it added.

The two injured officers were hospitalised “with various injuries” following the explosion.

The ministry identified the officer killed as 34-year-old Police Lieutenant Denis Bratuschenko, a senior inspector in the traffic police.

He had joined the force in 2019 and is survived by his wife and two children, it said.

“The leadership and personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia express their sincere condolences to the family,” a statement from Irina Volk, the ministry’s spokesperson read.

Savyolovsky Station is one of the Russian capital’s main railway hubs, according to the Agence France Presse news agency.