car bomb
Russian exile blames partisans for Dugina’s murder – but there are doubts
In this photo released by the Russian Investigative Committee, investigators work at the scene of the explosion of a car driven by Daria Dugina outside Moscow
© Uncredited/Investigative Committee of Russia/AP / DPA
Darja Dugina was considered in Russia as an advocate of aggressive war against Ukraine. The right-wing political scientist and journalist was killed in an attack on Sunday. A Russian exile now assigns responsibility to an alleged partisan movement.
After the death of right-wing Russian political scientist and journalist Darja Dugina, a previously unknown partisan movement was accused of the assassination. “This attack opens a new page in Russian resistance to Putinism. A new one – but not the last,” said Russian Ilya Ponomarev, who lives in Ukraine, in a YouTube video published on Sunday evening.
The National Republican Army movement is said to be responsible for the murder of the daughter of right-wing nationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin, as the former member of the Russian parliament explained. However, it has not yet been proven that such a “National Republican Army” actually exists. Some commentators on social networks doubted that an improvised opposition movement could be behind such a sophisticated and elaborately planned assassination and rather see the handwriting of Russian security authorities.
Partisans are said to have already committed several actions
According to Ponomaryov, the Russian partisans have carried out several actions in recent months, such as small arson attacks on administrative buildings. The 47-year-old hinted at further attacks in the coming months – for example against government officials and members of the security apparatus who are “henchmen” of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Dugina was considered an ardent supporter of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The 29-year-old died on Sunday night when her car exploded in a Moscow suburb. Representatives of the Russian state media directly blamed Ukraine for the assassination without presenting any evidence. Kyiv, in turn, rejected any involvement.