MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. An explosive device was presumably planted in the Toyota Land Cruiser belonging to political scientist and journalist Darya Dugina, who was killed in an explosion, the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee’s Main Investigative Department in the Moscow Region reported on Sunday.
"According to investigators, on August 20 around 21:00 in the Odintsovo urban district near the village of Bolshiye Vyazemy, an explosive device, presumably installed in the Toyota Land Cruiser, went off on a public road and the car caught fire. The female driver died at the scene. We established the identity of the deceased: it is journalist and political analyst Daria Dugina", the department said in a message on its Telegram channel.
The press service added that at the moment, forensic experts, investigators and experts in explosive engineering continue to inspect the incident site. "Based on the results of the inspection, a number of examinations will be appointed, including forensic, explosive engineering and molecular-genetic. All possible versions of the crime are being probed into," the press service noted.
Investigators have opened a criminal case over the murder of Darya Dugina under the article ‘Murder committed by an all-hazardous method’ (Item ‘f’ of Part 2, Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code). "The progress and results of the investigation of the criminal case are under the control of the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office," the press service added.
Earlier on Sunday, law enforcement agencies told TASS that a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado car exploded near the village of Bolshiye Vyazemy. The female driver was killed. Andrey Krasnov, the head of the Russian Horizon social movement and the person familiar with the victim, confirmed to TASS that the deceased was Darya Dugina. The car exploded on the Mozhaisk Highway as she was driving from the Tradition festival. According to Krasnov, the car belongs to Daria's father, Russian public figure Alexander Dugin.
Darya Dugina was born in 1992. She graduated from the Philosophy Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University. She was a PhD.