An ‘independent-minded’ Russia judge who oversaw high-profile cases was killed in the blast which crippled the Kerch Bridge, it has been claimed.
Sergey Maslov, 42, is thought to have been driving his black Cadillac Escalade alongside a truck when a huge explosion ripped apart the bridge in the early hours of Saturday – prompting a furious response from Vladimir Putin.
Maslov was riding alongside history-guide husband and wife Eduard Chuchakin, 53, and Zoya Sofronova, 33 – who he was friends with – and fitness instructor Gleb Orgetkin, 26, when the blast struck. All four were killed.
The judge had previously overseen court cases involving the daughter of Putin crony Ramzan Kadyrov, and state energy giant Gazprom.
Local newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets was first to report Maslov’s death, claiming he was driving the car seen on CCTV footage overtaking a truck which Russian investigators said had caused the explosion.
The car fell into the ocean after the blast caused part of the bridge to collapse, with bodies of the victims pulled from the water.
Russian investigators initially said three people had died: Chuchakin, wife Sofronova, and the driver of the truck, 52-year-old Makhir Yusubov.
But it now appears the actual death toll was five, including Maslov and instructor Orgetkin. It is not clear why their deaths was not reported until now.
The dead couple ‘had long been acquainted with the judge of the Moscow Arbitration Court, 42-year-old Sergey Maslov,’ reported MK.
Hellbound and Down 