The FSB had previously claimed that Ukrainian intelligence was plotting the assassination of Darya Dugina, a pro-war expert who was killed when a bomb exploded in the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving near Moscow after a conservative festival. Ukraine has strongly denied any involvement in the killing, with a government spokesman saying “we are not a criminal state, unlike Russia, and certainly not a terrorist state”. Dugina was the daughter of political philosopher Alexander Dugin, a radical voice in foreign policy who called for conflict with the West and told Russians they should “kill, kill, kill” Ukrainians. On Monday, Russia claimed that a member of a Ukrainian “sabotage and terror group” obtained forged documents and helped assemble the car bomb in a garage in southern Moscow. The agency released video of the person it said was the suspect, but released no evidence that he was involved in the killing. The agency’s claims could not be independently verified by the Guardian. The accusations against Ukraine, as well as a mass funeral covered on state television and attended by many Russian officials, have raised concerns that the killing could be used as justification for a wave of violence against Ukrainian politicians. Vladimir Putin, who has never met Dugin, awarded his daughter a posthumous bravery medal and called the bombing an “evil, cruel crime”. The death of a prominent expert near the capital has prompted some pro-Kremlin figures to warn that there will be more killings in the future. Margarita Simonyan, the head of state-funded RT, backed calls to bomb Ukrainian “decision-making centers” in revenge for Dugina’s death. Within two days of the bombing, Russia accused a Ukrainian woman of driving into Russia in a Mini Cooper with her 12-year-old daughter and following Dugina until shortly before the bombing. The woman then crossed the border from Russia into Estonia, the government said. On Monday, the FSB released security camera footage showing the woman at the Zakharovo estate outside Moscow, where the festival took place. The woman’s face is not clearly visible in the footage. The FSB claims to be walking in the Toyota Land Cruiser later driven by Dugina. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The agency, again without direct evidence, claimed the woman followed Dugina after she left the festival and detonated the bomb that killed her. It was the first time the woman was accused of activating the device. The Russian government called the bombing premeditated and “looked like a contract killing.”
