Darya Dugina, daughter of Kremlin ideologue Aleksandr Dugin, was killed on Saturday evening by a car bomb just outside Moscow. That confirms the Russian Commission of Inquiry on Sunday. Aleksandr Dugin is an influential figure in the circle surrounding Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been called the mastermind behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Various media reports that the target of the explosion would have been Dugina’s father. The car she was driving at the time of the blast belonged to him, Russia’s TASS news agency reported. According to emergency personnel, she was the only occupant and died on the spot. In a statement, the investigating committee said the explosion was caused by a bomb that went off while Dugina was driving on the highway. Then the vehicle caught fire. All possible options about the perpetrator(s) are still being kept open during the investigation.
Dugina has turned 30, according to Russian state media. Her father is known as ‘Putin’s brain’. The ultra-nationalist is said to have helped Putin shape his expansionist policy. He has been an advocate of annexing Ukraine for years and advocates the merging of Russian-speaking areas. Dugina is said to support her father’s ideas and appeared on TV to support the war in Ukraine.
Also read: this interview with Aleksandr Dugin from 2017