Russia blames Ukraine for car bombing that injured pro-Putin novelist Zakhar Prilepin, killed driver

Russia's top investigative agency on Saturday said the suspect in a car bombing that injured a prominent pro-Kremlin novelist and killed his driver has admitted acting at the behest of Ukraine's special services.

The blast that hit the car of Zakhar Prilepin, a well-known nationalist writer and an ardent supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was the third explosion involving prominent pro-Kremlin figures since the start of the conflict.

It took place in the region of Nizhny Novgorod, about 250 miles east of Moscow. Prilepin was hospitalized with broken bones, bruised lungs and other injuries; the regional governor said he had been put into a "medical sleep," but did not elaborate.