Russian nationalists of extreme right rushed to accuse Ukrainian agents of the car bombing attack that took place just outside Moscow on Saturday night. The attackers killed the daughter and wife of an influential ideological thinker, who was believed to have had a significant influence over the foreign policy decisions of President Vladimir Putin.
The death of Darya Dugina, the 30-year-old daughter of ultranationalist Alexander Dugin, seems certain to add a new edge to the fighting in Ukraine, where the invasion ordered by Mr. Putin in February is about to mark its sixth month of indecisive fighting.
Russian authorities said that Ms. Dugina was killed when the bomb she had placed inside her Toyota Land Cruiser detonated near Moscow. Social media images showed her father looking on, apparently in pain, at the blast site.
There were contradicting reports as to whether Mr. Dugin (a mysterious but powerful figure many have called “Putin”‘s brain”) was really the target and whether or not the car was registered under his name.
A top adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zilenskyy stated Sunday that Kyiv was not involved in the attack. However, Russian nationalists as well as pro-Russian separatist leaders reacted strongly and demanded revenge.
“Vile villains! According to Agence-France Presse, the Ukrainian regime terrorists attempted to kill Alexander Dugin but blew his daughter up.” Denis Pushilin was the head of Donetsk, a breakaway statelet Russia recognized after the war.
The direct influence of Mr. Putin on Kremlin observers has been an issue of contention for a long time. However, many of his arguments have been clearly displayed in the Russian president’s justification of his decision to invade.
An avid Russian nationalist Mr. Dugin called for unification of all Russian speaking peoples, including large Ukrainian enclaves, into one nation. He, along with Mr. Putin has also argued that Ukraine was, culturally, and politically, an integral part and parcel of Russia, and not a separate nationality.
He supported Mr. Putin’s decision in 2014, to seize Crimea from Ukraine, an operation that many consider a rehearsal for his decision this year to invade Ukraine.
He has also argued, like Vladimir Putin that Russia should be a stronghold for Christian traditions in an “clash between civilizations” to counter the secularizing influence of the West.
Russian authorities stated Sunday that they are treating the car bombing incident as a contract strike and were pursuing any leads.
A friend of Ms. Dugina said that the philosopher and his child were to go together after they attended a cultural festival on Saturday night. But, at the very last minute, her daughter drove off alone in her Toyota Land Cruiser.
Mykhailo Poolyak was an adviser to Mr. Zelenskyy and strongly denied that Ukraine played any part in the murder. He told a TV interviewer: “Ukraine does absolutely nothing with this because we’re not a criminal or terrorist state like Russia .”
This article was partly based on wire service reports.
