Female ‘assassin, 26, who blew up pro-Putin blogger with bomb hidden in gift’ facing 28 years in Russian prison

A WOMAN accused of blowing up one of Putin's pro-war bloggers could now face almost three decades in prison.

Russian prosecutors are blaming Daria Trepova, 26, for allegedly gifting military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky a golden bust of himself with a bomb hidden inside.

Tatarsky, 40, died instantly when the fireball explosion tore through a Russian cafe, injuring 30 others.

The military blogger had mysteriously been presented with a gold-coloured figurine by a woman at the creative event moments earlier.

Footage captured her strolling past the cafe while clutching a cardboard box shortly before the explosion.

Wearing a long coat, she is seen walking past the building before she returns and enters with her large package.

Police had then arrested Trepova on suspicion of her involvement in the bombing after she allegedly handed Tatarsky the lethal gift.

She denied knowing that she was carrying an explosive device.

The woman, from St Petersburg, is said to have previously been detained for taking part in anti-war rallies.

Trepova was also accused of carrying out the assassination on orders from Ukraine.

She could now be facing 28 years in a Russian prison, reports.

“The prosecutor asks the court to find Trepova guilty and sentence her to 28 years in a general-security prison colony with a fine of 800,000 rubles (£7,000),” St. Petersburg’s court system said via Telegram.

The prosecution also asked St. Petersburg's military court to sentence Dmitry Kasintsev to one year and ten months in jail on allegations of harbouring Trepova.

Her boyfriend Dmitry Rylov - also in his 20s and a member of the so-called Russian Liberation Army - says she has been "set up."

He is also wanted by the secret services and has been detained at anti-war protests with his girlfriend.

Rylov insisted Trepova must have "completely misunderstood the purpose" of the statue given to Tatarsky.

He said: "I believe that my wife was set up.

"I am in full confidence that she would never be able to do something like that on her own volition. 

"Yes, with Daria we really do not support the war in Ukraine, but we believe that such actions are unacceptable.

"I am 100 percent sure that she would never have agreed to such a thing if she had known."

But Russia released a supposed confession video showing the blonde, with cropped hair, admitting her role in the bomb plot.

When asked to explain why she is being detained, Trepova says: "I'd put it this way, for being at the assassination side of Vladlen Tatarsky.

"I brought there the statuette that exploded."

She was then pressed to reveal who supplied her with the devastating explosive, to which she replied: "Can I tell you later?"

Trepova was detained by the FSB and Investigative Committee in St Petersburg after they raided her rented flat close to the scene of the blast on Monday.