Moscow has repeatedly announced that it would respond to attacks on its territory by directly targeting Kiev’s decision-making centers. Writes Lucas Leiroz
On the night of August 20, Russian investigative journalist Daria Dugina was murdered in Bolshie Vyazyomy, Moscow oblast. The death occurred in a terrorist attack on her car, with a homemade bomb being detonated remotely. The assassin has already been identified by Russian security services, which also point out that she was supported by Ukrainian intelligence. The case of terrorism on the suburbs of Moscow intensifies local tensions and could lead to an escalation, as Russia may respond to this provocation.
Daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, a famous Russian philosopher and political scientist, Daria was returning with her father from the cultural festival “Tradition” when the attack took place. Aleksandr would board the same vehicle as his daughter but decided to change course a few minutes before leaving the festival. In the same place was Natalia Vovk, a Ukrainian citizen who had arrived in Russia on July 23 and followed Daria’s daily life, investigating her routine to plan the attack.
Vovk had rented an apartment in the same building that Daria lived in. She also used a car to follow Daria, having even changed the license plate of the vehicle three times, using identifications from three different countries, to dispel possible suspicions. An interesting detail is that Natalia acted all the time with her teenage daughter, leaving even less suspicion, looking like a simple mother. On the day of the bombing, Vovk was at the festival and observed the moment Daria left the place, detonating the bomb afterwards. It is possible that her intention was to annihilate Aleksandr and Daria together, but as her father did not get in the car, only Daria was hit.
Soon after, Natalia and her daughter left Russia, emigrating to Estonia. According to documents captured by the Russians, Natalia was a member of the Azov Batallion and worked in the Ukrainian secret service. Moscow demanded from Estonia that she be captured and handed over for trial in Russia, but there was no response. More recent sources report that she would have already left Estonia and arrived in Austria. Kiev denies involvement in the case, but such a well-planned operation, including renting an apartment, buying a car, forging license plates and installing explosives, could only have been carried out with the technical and financial support of intelligence agencies.
The commotion over Daria’s death has been immense, both in Russia and abroad. At just 29 years old, Daria was a kind of an icon of contemporary Russian youth, being a strong patriotic activist and defender of her country’s traditional values. She worked in several areas of knowledge, mainly philosophy, journalism, and political science, being regularly interviewed and consulted by Russian media outlets. As a journalist, Daria was investigating the Bellingcat group’s links to Western and Ukrainian intelligence services, which may have been one of the reasons for the bombing.
Key Russian authorities paid tributes to Daria. President Vladimir Putin has stated that the attack was a vile and cruel crime and has posthumously awarded Dugina with the medal of the Order For Courage. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Kiev will be considered a terrorist state and promised to bring to justice all who participated in the tragedy. Patriarch Cyril, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, sent a letter of condolences to Aleksandr Dugin and his family. In the same vein, around the world, Russian citizens and activists paid tribute to Daria in Russian embassies and consulates, as well as in Orthodox churches.
Daria’s murder, in fact, could take the Ukrainian conflict to a very dangerous path. Vasily Nebenzia, the Russian representative to the UN, announced that he would comment on the case during the previously convened UNSC meeting to discuss the situation in Zaporozhye. Chinese diplomats at the UN expressed concern and said they hoped the case would be resolved as soon as possible. Western countries remain silent.
It is important to remember that Moscow has repeatedly announced that it would respond to attacks on its territory by directly targeting decision-making centers. Several episodes of attacks have already been reported and “ignored” by Moscow, mainly in Crimea, which shows that the Russian authorities are really willing to prevent escalation. But Kiev seems to want to make the conflict worse in every way possible. A terrorist attack inside the Moscow oblast is not a simple matter to tolerate. The response will likely be severe and effective.
Daria’s death represents a sad chapter in this story written by Kiev and the West of launching war and terror against the Russian people, but the consequences of this episode could be terrible for the aggressor side. The best Western countries can do is to cooperate with the Russians in capturing and handing over Natalia Vovk for trial in Moscow, renouncing any support for Kiev’s terrorist practices.
Lucas Leiroz, researcher in Social Sciences at the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; geopolitical consultant.
