A vehicle bomb has injured a popular Russian writer and pro-war blogger, according to officials.

Zakhar Prilepin, a staunch supporter of the Ukraine war, was said to be conscious following the attack in the Nizhny Novgorod region, but his driver was murdered.

According to the interior ministry, a suspect was apprehended in connection with the attack.

It comes just a month after another pro-Kremlin blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in an explosion at a café in St. Petersburg.

The interior ministry said a suspect with past convictions had been apprehended near a forest in the Nizhny Novgorod region less than two hours after the incident was initially reported.

“The search for possible accomplices continues,” according to the statement.

“Law enforcement officers are now investigating the circumstances and causes of the incident,” Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin said. Zakhar is OK.”

The incident is said to have occurred on a lonely road around 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the town of Bor. According to state media, the blogger suffered a concussion and damaged bones.

The 47-year-old novelist is well-known in Russia and is known for his engagement in ultranationalist politics.

He has admitted to fighting with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. He was a veteran of Russia’s deadly battles in Chechnya in the 1990s.

He has called for Kiev’s “return to Russia.” Last year, Mr Prilepin’s group called on officials to “purge the cultural space” of all those who oppose the conflict.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, refrained to comment on the purported bombing until the inquiry was completed.

However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova attempted to blame the attack on the United Kingdom and the United States.