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No mercy for perpetrators, masterminds behind Dugina murder, Lavrov vows

The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that this barbaric crime could never be forgiven

MOSCOW, August 23./TASS/. The murder of political analyst and journalist Darya Dugina was a barbarous crime, there can be no mercy for its masterminds and perpetrators, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference on Tuesday. "I cannot judge whether it was an act of intimidation or settling of accounts," the minister said in response to a question. "I believe that this is a barbaric crime that can never be forgiven," Lavrov stressed.

"Now, as I understand, the FSB has already established the facts, which are now being investigated. The investigation, I hope, will be completed quickly, and based on the results of this probe, certainly there can be no mercy for the masterminds, those who ordered it and the perpetrators," Lavrov added.

Darya Dugina’s murder

An explosive device went off in a Toyota Land Cruiser that Dugina was driving on a highway near the village of Bolshiye Vyazyomy, in the Moscow Region, on August 20. The SUV subsequently burst into flames killing her instantly. It was established that a bomb had been planted under the vehicle on the driver's side. Criminal proceedings have been launched based on murder charges (paragraph F of part 2 of the Russian Criminal Code’s article 105). It will be probed by the central office of Russia’s Investigative Committee.

The Federal Security Service, the FSB, told TASS on Monday that Dugina’s murder had been solved. According to the federal agency, it had been masterminded by the Ukrainian secret services and carried out by Ukrainian national Natalia Vovk, who fled to Estonia following the killing.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to award the Order of Courage posthumously to Russian journalist and public activist Darya Dugina.

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Foreign policy Sergey Lavrov

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