The daughter of a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been killed in a suspected car bomb attack. Darya Dugina, 29, died after a roadside explosion outside Moscow, Russia’s investigative committee said. Her father, Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, known as “Putin’s brain”, is believed to have been the attack’s intended target.
Dugin is a prominent ultranationalist ideologue who is believed to be close to the Russian president.
Alexander Dugin and his daughter had been at a festival near Moscow, where the philosopher lectured on Saturday night.
The “Tradition” festival is a family event for art lovers at the Zakharovo estate, where the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin once stayed. The pair were due to leave the venue in the same car before Dugin reportedly decided at the last minute to travel separately.
Footage posted on Telegram appears to show Mr Dugin watching in shock as emergency services arrive at the scene of the burning wreck of a vehicle. Investigators confirmed that Ms Dugina, who was driving the car, died at the scene near the village of Bolshiye Vyazemy.
They said an explosive device under the car went off, and the vehicle caught fire. Forensic and explosive experts are investigating. A Ukrainian official has dismissed accusations of Ukrainian involvement in the incident.
“Ukraine, of course, has nothing to do with this because we are not a criminal state, which is the Russian Federation, and even less a terrorist state,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, said in a Telegram post that if any Ukrainian link were found, it would amount to “state terrorism”.
Despite not holding an official government position, Alexander Dugin is believed to be a close ally of the Russian president and has even been dubbed “Putin’s Rasputin”.
Darya Dugina was a prominent journalist who openly supported the invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this year, she was sanctioned by US and British authorities, who accused her of contributing to online “disinformation” about the Russian invasion. In May, she described the war as a “clash of civilizations” in an interview and expressed her pride that Western sanctions have targeted her and her father.
We sanctioned Alexander Dugin in 2015 for his alleged involvement in Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
His writings are said to have had a deep influence on Mr Putin, and the philosopher is regarded as a chief architect of the ultra-nationalist ideology endorsed by many in the Kremlin.
For years, Mr Dugin has called on Moscow to assert itself more aggressively on the global stage and has supported Russian military action in Ukraine.