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Car Bombing Kills Daughter of Putin Ally while War in Ukraine Surpasses Six Months

The death of a Russian ideologue's daughter prompts recriminations and a possible escalation of hostilities as the Ukrainian conflict enters its seventh month.
Car Bombing Kills Daughter of Putin Ally while War in Ukraine Surpasses Six Months

The daughter of an ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue who advocates Russia absorbing Ukraine was killed in a suspected car bomb attack outside Moscow, reports Reuters. Darya Dugina, daughter of prominent ideologue Alexander Dugin, was killed on Saturday evening after a suspected explosive device blew up the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving.

Daughter of Russian ideologue killed in suspected car bomb attack (Reuters)

Excerpt from Reuters: The Russian Foreign Ministry speculated that Ukraine might have been behind the attack. Ukraine denied any involvement. Russia's TASS state news agency quoted Andrei Krasnov, someone who knew Dugina, as saying the vehicle belonged to her father and that he was probably the intended target. Father and daughter had been attending a festival outside Moscow and Dugin had decided to switch cars at the last minute, Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported. TV footage accompanying a statement by Moscow region investigators showed officers collecting debris and fragments from the spot where the explosion happened.
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According to Vox, Dugina, though lower profile than her father Aleksandr Dugin, espoused many similar nationalist and pro-war beliefs and had been sanctioned by the United States for running a disinformation website. Russia is blaming Ukraine for Dugina’s death, and it’s already prompting recriminations between the two countries — and fears of escalation.

"Our hearts yearn for more than just revenge or retribution," Dugin said in a statement Monday that added to those fears. "It’s too small, not the Russian style. We only need our Victory."

Everything we actually know about the Moscow car bombing (Vox)

Excerpt from Vox: Russia’s security agency, the FSB, says its two-day investigation found that "Ukrainian intelligence agencies" planned the attack, and a Ukrainian woman who entered and then fled through Estonia carried it out. Ukraine denies involvement and points the finger back at Moscow; a Ukrainian official on Monday called the attack part of an "intraspecies" fight among Russian elites. Meanwhile, a new supposed anti-Putin underground group tried to claim responsibility Monday. It’s far too early to know who’s behind the attack, said Brian Taylor, a political science professor at Syracuse University and an expert in Russian politics. In fact, we may never know. With other recent assassinations in Russia with high political stakes, including opposition politician Boris Nemtsov in 2015, "the investigation usually ends up only going so far."
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In a related story from NPR, six months ago, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The half-year mark comes on the same day — Aug. 24 — as a national holiday celebrating Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union, an event in 1991 noted for its lack of bloodshed. Today the holiday takes on new meaning for many Ukrainians, as the country continues to fight in what it calls a new "war for independence."

Over the course of six months, the war has captured the world's attention, disrupted the global distribution of food and fuel and left the country reeling. To understand some of the war's impact on Ukraine, here are six key numbers:

  1. Over 13 million Ukrainians have been displaced.
  2. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians may have lost their lives in the war.
  3. Russia occupies 20% of Ukrainian land.
  4. Dozens of countries have pledged billions of dollars in military aid since the war began.
  5. Ukraine's economy could shrink by as much as 45% because of the invasion.
  6. Bake sales, spare change and "St. Javelin" have raised over $500 million in private money to help Ukraine.

6 key numbers that reveal the staggering impact of Russia's war in Ukraine (NPR)

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