The daughter of a close ally to Vladmir Putin has died after her car exploded while driving in Moscow, Russia has claimed.
Darya Dugina, daughter of political commentator Alexander Dugin, died after an alleged “car bomb” exploded as she was driving 12 miles to the west of the capital at 9m local time (7pm BST).
According to quotes from the Russian Investigative Committee’s main investigative department, reported by state news agency, Tass, an “explosive device was installed in the Toyota Land Cruiser”.
Adding: “According to investigators, on August 20 around 21:00 in the Odintsovo urban district near the village of Bolshiye Vyazemy, an explosive device, presumably installed in the Toyota Land Cruiser, went off on a public road and the car caught fire. The female driver died at the scene.”
Andrey Krasnov, the head of the Russian Horizon social movement, the card was owned by her father and both, Darya and Alexander, had attended the Tradition festival.
Dugin has previously called for the unification of Russia and other Russian-speaking countries while his daughter had been a vocal supporter of the invasion of Ukraine.
His daughter was sanctioned by the US Treasury in March over an article on the United World International website, where she was chief editor, which suggested that Ukraine would “perish” if it is admitted to NATO.
Commenting on Dugin, the US Treasury says he is “responsible for or complicit in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or sovereignty or territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
Adding: “Dugin was a leader of the Eurasian Youth Union, which actively recruited individuals with military and combat experience to fight on behalf of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and has stated that it has a covert presence in Ukraine.
“Dugin controls Geopolitica, a website that serves as a platform for Russian ultra-nationalists to spread disinformation and propaganda targeting Western and other audiences.”
