Putin calls murder of ally's daughter 'dastardly crime', Russia blames Ukraine

Darya Dugina was killed when a car she was driving exploded near the Russian capital of Moscow. Putin has posthumously honoured her with a prestigious state award.

Published on: Aug 23, 2022, 07:14:02 IST

By HT News Desk | Edited by Swati Bhasin, New Delhi

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Two days after a car bomb attack near the Russian capital of Moscow killed the daughter of nationalist political ideologue Alexander Dugin, Vladimir Putin on Monday called the murder “a dastardly crime”. Darya Dugina’s killing has also prompted accusations from Russia's Federal Security Service that Ukraine was involved in the murder.

Journalist and political expert Darya Dugina, daughter of Russian politologist Alexander Dugin, is pictured in the Tsargrad TV studio in Moscow, Russia, in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on August 21, 2022.   (via REUTERS)

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, however, has called the accusation a "propaganda” as Kyiv defends itself from what it calls an imperial-style war of conquest waged by Russia.

On Monday, Putin posthumously granted Darya a prestigious state award- the Order of Courage - "for courage and selflessness shown in the performance of professional duty", the Kremlin stated, news agency Reuters reported. Twenty-nine-year-old Darya was killed when a car she was driving exploded near Moscow.

Alexander Dugin, said to be a close ally of Putin, posted a statement on Telegram app, saying his daughter “was brutally murdered” in front of him. "Our hearts are not simply thirsting for revenge or retribution," Dugin wrote. "We only need our victory (against Ukraine). My daughter has sacrificed her young life on the altar of victory. So please win!”

"She was a beautiful Orthodox woman, patriot, war reporter, an expert for central TV and philosopher,” he said in one of his first public remarks.

While Alexander is said to have backed the use of violence for unification of the Russian speaking territories, his daughter had also supported Russia for the “special military operation in Ukraine.

The Ukraine-Russia war is set to enter the seventh month now with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warning that Russia “may try to do something particularly nasty, particularly cruel” as Ukraine prepares to celebrate Independence Day on Wednesday.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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