Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russian security service accuses Ukraine of killing daughter of Russian ultranationalist

As Russia continues to bombard Ukraine, the war moving into its sixth month, there are also incidents happening within Russian territory. The Russian federal security service pinned the blame on Ukraine for the murder of a Russian ultranationalist’s daughter.

The federal security service of Russia this week accused Ukraine’s security services Monday of killing Darya Dugina, the daughter of ultranationalist Alexander Dugin, who pushed for Ukraine’s absorption into Russia. Dugina was killed in a car bomb attack near Moscow.

Kyiv has denied any involvement in the attack, with Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak calling the accusation “propaganda.” Russian dictator Vladimir Putin posthumously presented Dugina with an award “for courage and selflessness shown in the performance of professional duty.”

Dugina, a political commentator on Russian state television, has strongly backed the war Russia is waging on Ukraine. Alexander Dugin is known for long advocating for violence to unify all Russian-speaking territories, among others. In a public statement since the bombing that killed Dugina, Dugin said his daughter was savagely killed before him by Ukraine.

The FSB said the attacker was a Ukrainian woman linked to Ukraine’s security services, accusing the woman of being part of the Azov battalion, a unit of Ukraine’s military that Russia labeled a terrorist group. The FSB said the woman arrived in Russia back in July and spent a month preparing for the attack.

The Azov unit issued a response, saying the woman was never a member of the unit and accused Russia of lying.

Members of the Russian opposition expressed skepticism about the speed of the investigation, suggesting other possibilities. One former Russian lawmaker turned Kremlin critic said an unknown group of Russian militants called the National Republican Army was responsible.

Meanwhile, the United States said it has obtained intelligence that Russia is planning to launch a new offensive to target Ukraine’s infrastructure and government facilities.

“We have information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days. Given Russia’s track record in Ukraine, we are concerned about the continued threat that Russian strikes pose to civilians and civilian infrastructure,” said a US official Monday.