Alexander Dugin’s daughter Darya Dugina has been assassinated in a contract killing car bombing. President Putin has not yet publicly reacted to or commented on the car bombing that targeted civilians in Russia.
Update1050ET: Following last night’s death of Darya Dugina, the daughter of Alexander Dugin, by what appeared to be a vehicle bomb as she was driving his car home from an event, Ukraine is preparing for a potential escalation in Russian assaults. Many feel it was an attempt at assassinating the well-known but very contentious Russian political pundit and philosopher predicated on the details that have come to light.
Running counter to prevailing overblown Western mainstream headlines that allude to him as “Putin’s brain” there is no solid proof that Dugin and Putin have ever even crossed paths (much less a picture of the two together or in the same room, which we have yet to find). However, Dugin’s influence on some Russian political circles is undeniable. He has played a key role in shaping the so-called “Russian world” ideological position for a long time, but his impact on actual Kremlin policy circles has been minimal at best, particularly since 2014. since he had been much more hawkish and maximalist when it comes to the Ukraine crisis, which has occasionally made Russia’s political elite uncomfortable.
In an official statement issued on Sunday, Russia’s Investigative Committee stated that it had initiated a murder probe following the detonation of a car bomb underneath Alexander Dugin’s vehicle, which only his daughter Darya was driving at the time (eyewitnesses say he switched cars at the last minute when returning from an event).
The Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving was reportedly destroyed by a vehicle bomb in the Moscow region, close to the settlement of Bolshie Vyazemy, in a deliberate murder by unidentified parties:
“The investigation believes that the crime was planned in advance and is of a contract nature,” the statement said, adding that investigators had “established that the explosive device was placed under the bottom of the car on the driver’s side.”
Leaders of the pro-Russian Donbass militia, notably among them Denis Pushilin, have urged combatants to swiftly “avenge” Dugina’s passing. At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, is now alerting his people to the impending serious escalation.
In the hours that followed news of the targeted hit, Zelensky warned of probable stepped-up Russian attacks and the need for caution:
“We should be conscious of the fact that this week Russia may try to do something particularly nasty,” the Ukrainian leader said in his daily video address late on Saturday. “But Russia has done the same constantly each week throughout the past six months.”
Some regional governors are reportedly implementing additional security measures days before Ukraine’s independence day celebrations:
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, part of which remains under Russian occupation, governor Oleh Synehubov announced a series of restrictions on movement this week including a 36-hour curfew beginning on the eve of Independence Day on Tuesday until early morning on Thursday.
“Please treat such steps with understanding and prepare to stay at home or in bomb shelters—this is our security,” he wrote on the Telegram social-media platform. “We won’t give the enemy the chance for any provocations. On the day of our independence we will be particularly alert.”
President Putin has not yet publicly reacted to or commented on the car bombing that targeted civilians in Russia. Although it is obvious that Alexander Dugin is a highly divisive and polarizing person both within Russia and outside, some pundits are raising the possibility that the strike may have been intended for Darya from the start. As the inquiry continues, little is presently known about the particular motives or the identity of those responsible.
Given the recent run of Ukrainian attacks within Crimea, including the weekend UAV strike on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, both sides of the Ukraine war seemed to be preparing for further escalation even before the Saturday night car bombing.
Update(2310ET): Darya Dugina, the daughter of renowned Russian political analyst and Putin ally Alexander Dugin, was killed in what seems to have been a targeted attack, potentially an attempt on her father’s life, according to Russia’s English-language state news outlet.
“The incident took place on a highway some 20 kilometers west of Moscow around 21:35 local time, with witnesses saying that the blast rocked the vehicle right in the middle of the road, scattering debris all around,” according to new details. “The crippled car, fully engulfed in flames, then crashed into a fence, according to photos and videos from the scene.”
“Emergency services said one person was inside the car and was instantly killed by the blast and crash – a female whose body was reportedly recovered burned beyond recognition.”
“Authorities have yet to confirm the identity of the victim, but multiple Russian Telegram channels and media sources reported that the victim was 30-year-old Darya Dugina (Platonova). Her father, Alexander Dugin, was spotted at the scene soon after the incident, visibly shocked, according to several videos circulating on social media.”
Although the explosion’s official cause has not yet been determined, there is broad belief that it was caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
According to unsubstantiated accounts, she was driving his car while he was in another one, and this has led to a lot of conjecture that the alleged bombing was an effort to kill Alexander Dugin.
The Daily Beast reports, citing local sources:
Alexander Dugin was meant to be in the vehicle his daughter was driving but had gotten in a different one at the last second, according to Pyotr Lundstrem, a Russian violinist quoted by the outlet.
Dugin had reportedly been following right behind his daughter and had watched as her car exploded. Photos shared by Baza appeared to show Dugin distraught at the scene, holding his head in both hands as he stood in front of the fiery wreckage.
And more:
Denis Pushilin, the Russian proxy leader of Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk, angrily blamed “terrorists of the Ukrainian regime” for the blast, writing on Telegram that they had been “trying to liquidate Alexander Dugin” but “blew up his daughter.”
“In loving memory of Darya, she is a true Russian girl,” Pushilin wrote.
Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and social media pages similarly blamed Ukraine for the explosion and called on Russians to “avenge” Dugina’s death.
This, together with recent attacks inside Crimea, could lead to a further escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
According to reports, the daughter of Alexander Dugin, a trusted adviser and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was murdered in what many believe to be an assassination attempt intended for her father.
As per sources, Darya Dugin was “blown to pieces” close to the Moscow suburb of Bolshiye Vyazyomy; the Daily Mail and other media sites believe that Alexander had first intended to travel back with her from a festival before opting to ride in a different car.
Local law enforcement verified that a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado had blown up, but they did not verify the victim’s identify, only that she was a female, according to state-owned TASS in Russia. It was Darya, according to a man TASS identified as a Dugin acquaintance, but no official confirmation has been made as of yet.
According to the Russian publication Baza, the 29-year-old was traveling home from the literary and music event “Tradition” when the explosion took place. She apparently spent about ten minutes behind the wheel before the explosion. Pyotr Lundstrem, a Russian violinist, was also quoted by the publication. According to Lundstrem, Alexander was supposed to be in the car. Instead, he was said to have been following her automobile when it detonated.
Dugin, a former head editor of the pro-Putin Tsargrad TV network, has frequently been depicted in Western media as the “mastermind” behind the invasion of Ukraine and as a thinker who had a significant impact on Russia’s post-Soviet nationalism.
Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine, described it as an “attack” by “vile villains” in an Instagram post. He also went on to add that “the terrorists of the Ukrainian regime, trying to eliminate Alexander Dugin, blew up his daughter… In a car. Blessed memory of Daria, she is a real Russian girl!”
“The tenacity of these Ukro-Reich morons is amazing. Everyone, if possible, needs to be home in the next hour,” he added.
According to “MOW!” Moscow News, a picture of the claimed incident was uploaded to Telegram with the following caption: “All that remains of the blown up car of the daughter of the famous public figure Alexander Dugin on the Mozhaisk highway in the Moscow region. The SUV of Darya Dugina detonated while driving, after which it caught fire.”
2 Responses
The crime seems to have been solved.
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Russia releases video of suspected Moscow car bomber
Footage shows the Ukrainian citizen entering the country and leaving it after allegedly assassinating Darya Dugina .. https://www.rt.com/russia/561318-dugina-suspect-vovk-video/