A political activist in St.
Petersburg known for his pacifist protests was stabbed to death, local media reported Tuesday.Initial unconfirmed reports from the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Mash na Moika claimed that a 20-year-old queer blogger identified as Alexander S.
hadconfessed to murdering activist Vitaly Ioffe.According to the channel, Alexander S.
allegedly stabbed Ioffe 20 times in northeastern St.
Petersburg, attempted suicide but then turned himself in to the police in the city of Vyborg.
Mash na Moika did not say how it came by this information.The Kommersant business daily, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, lateridentifiedthe killer as Alexander Sinko.The publication noted that Ioffe had always supported and cared for Sinko, buta conflict reportedly broke out between them on Saturday night and led to the activists stabbing death.The St.
Petersburg-based news websiteFontanka.ru, also citing anonymous sources,reportedthat Sinko had confessed in Telegram messages to subscribers to killing Ioffe in self-defense after the activist allegedly tried to rape him.Law enforcement authoritiessaidthey were collecting evidence and preparing for forensic examinations after a mans body with multiple stab wounds was found in a northeastern St.
Petersburg apartment.Ioffes daughter Elenaconfirmed her fathers death with the local news outlet Bumaga.I know for certain that he was killed, she was quoted as saying by Bumaga, adding that the place and time of the murder as reported by the media appeared accurate.
However, she said she could not confirm whetherthe blogger identified as Alexander Sinko was involved.According to the Telegram channel Rotunda, the 53-year-old Ioffe had participated in pacifist pickets following Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine.