Dead is a high-ranking Russian military officer who was killed in a car crash near , according to media reports.
The explosive device planted under his BMW detonated at about 5.30am. on Tuesday while Colonel Damir Davydov was driving near his home in the town of Balasika, independent Astra media reported.
Series of murders of Russian soldiers
The attack is the latest in a string of assassinations targeting Russian military officials and prominent pro-war figures since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Davydov, 57, headed the Russian military’s artillery and missile supply directorate, a key logistics role responsible for overseeing the distribution of weapons to the armed forces.
Security camera footage shared by pro-Kremlin media appears to show Davydov’s vehicle bursting into flames and colliding with a parked car. Telegram channel Mash reported that passers-by rushed to pull the driver out of the burning car, but he died of his injuries a short time later.
A passerby who tried to help Davydov told Astra that the colonel was still alive when he was pulled from the vehicle.
“All his clothes were on fire. I extinguished the flames from his T-shirt and tore it off so that it wouldn’t burn his skin…Looking at him, it was obvious that he didn’t have much hope of survival,” he said.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine have commented on the incident.
Without directly blaming Ukraine, Vladimir Shamanov, a Russian lawmaker and retired general, condemned the attack as an “outrageous act”, adding: “Such audacity must be treated in the same way.”
Concern for the security of senior officials
Since the start of the war, Ukrainian intelligence services have targeted dozens of senior Russian military officers and officials posted by Moscow to the occupied territories, accusing many of them of involvement in war crimes.
The latest killing will intensify scrutiny of Russia’s internal security apparatus and its ability to protect senior officials. This was despite heightened security measures introduced for top military and political figures, including Vladimir Putin, following a series of high-profile attacks.
The successful attack on a high-ranking Russian military officer is embarrassing for Russia’s security services, as the attack took place less than a mile from where, more than a year ago, Major General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Russian Armed Forces’ main operations directorate, was killed in a similar car bomb attack.
Secret Ukrainian network
Secret Ukrainian networks are believed to be operating inside Russia and territories controlled by it, carrying out assassinations and attacks against military infrastructure far behind the front lines.
Successful Ukrainian intelligence operations targeting Russian officials are believed to be one of the reasons behind Russia’s growing internet blackouts, a measure that has fueled public frustration across the country.
