The daughter of a Russian ultranationalist and ally of President Vladimir Putin who argued that Russia should absorb Ukraine has been killed in a suspected car bomb attack.
Russian state investigators said Darya Dugina, daughter of ideologue Alexander Dugin, was killed after a suspected explosive device detonated the Toyota Land Cruiser she was traveling in on Saturday evening.
State news agency TASS quoted Andrei Krasnov, who knew Ms Dugina, as saying the vehicle belonged to her father and was likely the intended target.
The father and daughter had attended a festival outside Moscow and Mrs Dugin had decided to change cars at the last minute, Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported.
Television footage accompanying the statement showed investigators collecting debris and fragments from the blast site.
Moscow region investigators who described Darya Dugina as a journalist and political expert said they had opened a murder case.
They said they would carry out forensic examinations to determine what had happened.
Investigators said they were considering “all versions” in trying to figure out who was responsible for the crime.
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Investigators work at the scene of the suspected car bomb attack
Ms. Dugina’s father, Alexander Dugin, has long called for the unification of Russian-speaking and other territories into a grand new Russian empire.
He wants the empire to include Ukraine, where Russian forces are currently conducting what President Putin calls a “special military operation” to demilitarize the country.
Some Russia watchers have claimed that Dugin’s influence over Putin is significant, while others have argued that it is minimal.
Mr. Dugin is sanctioned by the US.
Ms Dugina, who also went by the name Platonova and was reported by Russian state media to be in her 30s, generally supported her father’s ideas.
He has appeared on state television to offer support for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.