JUST IN: Senior Russian Military Official Assassinated in Car Bomb Near Moscow

A senior Russian military official has been killed in a car bombing near Moscow, according to media reports.

An explosive device planted underneath a BMW detonated at about 5.30am on Tuesday as Col Damir Davydov was driving near his home in the city of Balashikha, the independent outlet Astra reported. It was 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 ammunition supply directorate, a key logistics role responsible for overseeing the distribution of weapons to the armed forces.

The Kremlin on Wednesday confirmed that an explosion had taken place and that Vladimir Putin had been informed. Asked about the investigation, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to provide details, saying: “As you understand, information related to the ongoing investigation cannot be disclosed. This is, of course, a matter for our special services.”

Security camera footage shared by pro-Kremlin media appeared to show Davydov’s vehicle erupting in flames and rolling into a parked car. The Telegram channel Mash reported that bystanders rushed to pull the driver from the wreckage, but he died from his injuries shortly afterwards.

A bystander who tried to help Davydov told Astra the colonel was still alive after being pulled from the vehicle.

“All of his clothes were on fire. I put out the flames on his T-shirt and tore it off so it wouldn’t burn his skin … Looking at him, it was clear he was unlikely to survive,” the person said.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the incident.

Without directly blaming Ukraine, Vladimir Shamanov, a Russian lawmaker and retired general, condemned the attack as an “outrage”, adding: “Such insolence should be met with the same.”

Since the start of the war, Ukrainian intelligence agencies have targeted dozens of senior Russian military officers and Moscow-installed officials in occupied territories, accusing many being involved in war crimes.

The latest assassination will intensify scrutiny of Russia’s internal security apparatus and its ability to protect senior officials. It came despite heightened security measures introduced for top military and political figures, including Vladimir Putin, after a number of high-profile attacks.

In an added embarrassment for the security services, the attack took place less than a mile from the spot where, just over a year ago, Lt Gen Yaroslav Moskalik, the deputy head of the Russian armed forces’ main operations directorate, was killed in a similar car bombing.

Little is known about the clandestine Ukrainian networks believed to be operating inside Russia and Russia-controlled territories, carrying out assassinations and attacks on military infrastructure far behind the frontline.

Successful Ukrainian intelligence operations targeting Russian officials are believed to be one of the reasons behind Russia’s growing use of internet shutdowns, a measure that has caused public frustration across the country.

Russian state media also reported a separate incident in Moscow on Tuesday, saying there had been an attempt to kill an employee of a scientific-industrial enterprise.

Citing Russia’s investigative committee, RIA Novosti reported that a teenage girl had allegedly retrieved an explosive device from a dead drop on the instructions of Ukrainian handlers and passed it to a teenage boy. Authorities said both teenagers had been detained before the device could be used.