An SUV exploded in southern Moscow, injuring its driver and prompting a criminal investigation. According to media reports, the black Toyota Fortuner belongs to journalist Sergei Zavorotny, press secretary to former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov. The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over the explosion.

The channel Operation Z: Russian Spring War Correspondents reported that the vehicle had traveled approximately 200 meters along Kirovogradskaya Street after leaving a courtyard when the blast occurred.

The explosion struck beneath a seat inside the SUV. Its force threw the driver out of the vehicle and onto the roadway. The injured man was subsequently taken to hospital.

According to the channel, the Toyota Fortuner is registered to Zavorotny, who also holds a Candidate of Historical Sciences degree. The cause of the explosion has not yet been officially established.

The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed to RIA Novosti that investigators are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the blast. A team from the Moscow Main Investigative Directorate was dispatched to the scene as part of the criminal investigation.

The Moscow explosion followed another deadly car blast in St. Petersburg the previous day. A vehicle carrying a serviceman exploded in that city, killing him.