August 23, 2022, in the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, Daria Dugina died in an automobile bombing. Daria Dugina was a key ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his pro-war ideology. Dugina was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser when the vehicle exploded, prompting a criminal investigation. 

Over the years, Dugina advocated for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine both on TV and online, believing that Russia would thrive with Ukraine’s destruction. Because of its violence and the political prominence of her father, Alexander Dugin, her death made headlines. Alexander Dugin is known to many as “Putin’s brain” due to his prominent Russian nationalist beliefs. His vision of a revived Russian empire was actually an influence in Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

Closer to home, the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Dugina in March 2022 after she served as chief editor for United World International, which is classified as a disinformation site. She also was fervent in sharing her Pro-Russian opinions on mainstream media, being invited to many provocative talk shows.

In efforts to catch Dugina’s killer, Russia’s Federal Security Service recently accused Ukraine’s secret services on Monday of killing Darya Dugina. Russia’s Federal security service said the attack was carried out by a Ukrainian woman born in 1979. She arrived in Russia in July and spent a month preparing the attack, fleeing to Estonia after carrying out the assassination. They linked this woman to Ukraine’s security services and accused her of being a member of the Azov battalion. The Azov battalion is a unit of Ukraine’s army that Russia has designated a terrorist group. In response to this statement, Azov said the woman had never been a member of the unit and accused Russia of concocting a lie.