Russian security service accuses Ukraine of killing ultra-nationalist's daughter

Russia's Federal Security Service charged Ukraine's Secret Services with killing Darya Dugina (pictured), the daughter of a Russian ultranationalist. The attack was near Moscow and President Vladimir Putin called it "evil".

Russian investigators claimed that Dugina's father Alexander Dugin was a prominent ideologue.

Ukraine is defending itself against what it calls an imperial-style Russian war of conquest. Mykhailo Podolyak, the Ukrainian presidential adviser, denies any involvement in the attack.

Dugina, a media commentator, supported Russia's actions against Ukraine. Moscow called it a "specially military operation".

Alexander Dugin (60), her father, advocated violence for the unification and consolidation of Russian-speaking territories in a new Russian Empire.

He stated that Darya was brutally killed by Ukraine in his first public statement about the car bombing.

Dugin stated that "our hearts are not just thirsting for revenge and retribution." "We only need our victory against Ukraine" My daughter has given her life for the sake of victory. Please win!

Russia's FSB security agency claimed that the attack was perpetrated by a Ukrainian woman who was born in 1979. It named her and published her picture and personal information on Russian news sites.

These websites connected her to Ukraine's security forces and accused her being a member the Azov battalion of Ukraine's army, which Russia has declared a terrorist organization.

Azov responded by posting a Telegram message on the messaging app, claiming that the woman named in the FSB's statement had never been a member and accusing Russia of fabricating a lie.

According to the FSB, the mother and her teenage daughter arrived in Russia in July. They spent a month preparing for the attack by renting an apartment in Dugina's same block.

It was revealed that she drove a Mini Cooper around Moscow, which she used as a spy on Dugina. She also had three sets of license plates for this purpose to avoid detection.

Dugina had been to an event in Moscow on Saturday night, where her father and Dugina were present, it was added. After that, she carried out a controlled explosion of Dugina's car. In the same Mini Cooper, she fled Russia to Estonia.

According to the TASS news agency, Russian law enforcement agencies had placed the Ukrainian women on their wanted list. Moscow is seeking her extradition from Estonia.

In separate statements, the Estonian interior ministry, police and border guard services stated that they can share information about individuals entering or leaving Estonia "only when prescribed by law", and that the FSB claim did not satisfy that requirement. According to the police and border guard, it has not received any Russian requests for information in this matter.

Putin paid tributes to Dugina as a Russian patriot, calling her murder "evil & cruel", while Margarita Simyan, editor in chief of the Kremlin-backed RT Media Organisation, suggested that Russian agents could track down the woman in Estonia.

Simonyan posted on Telegram: "Estonia, obviously will not hand them back."

"I believe we can find professionals that want to admire the tallinn spires," she said. This apparent reference is to the 2018 attack on Britain by former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, which Britain claimed Moscow was behind. Russia denied Britain's accusation.

Her father announced that a memorial service would be held for Dugina on Tuesday (23 August) at Moscow’s TV center.

Some Russian opposition leaders were skeptical about the speed with which the FSB seemed to have solved the case. They suggested alternate versions.

Ilya Ponomaryov (a former Russian lawmaker who became a critic of the Kremlin based in Ukraine) claimed that Dugina's murder was attributable to a previously unknown Russian militant group called the National Republican Army.

Reuters could not independently verify Ponomaryov’s assertion and that of the group.

Russia's Investigative Committee didn't immediately respond to a request.

Ponomaryov, the Russian State Duma's lower house, was the only one to vote against Ukraine's annexation in 2014. He later fled the country.

Ponomaryov is the founder of an online TV station in Kyiv that challenges the Kremlin's war narrative. He read out a manifesto that the group sent to him on Sunday.

The group claimed it was determined to overthrow Putin and build a new Russia. These statements are illegal in Russia, and those making them risk long prison sentences.

His assertion is one of many theories that could be used to explain Dugina's death.

Some believe that her father was the intended victim.

Podolyak of Ukraine stated that he believes the murder was caused by a struggle between Russia’s intelligence services.

He wrote that "any attempts to blame Ukraine...for a car bombing in Moscow suburbs is futile".

Some Russian opposition activists speculate that the murder might have been orchestrated in Russia by forces trying to dissuade ultra-nationalists such as Dugin from criticizing the Kremlin's softness towards Ukraine.

They suggested that the killing could be used as a pretext to crack down on internal enemies.

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