Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has strongly condemned the killing of the daughter of an influential policy commentator who lost her life in a car bomb on the outskirts of Moscow at the weekend.

The Russian Investigative Committee said on Sunday that it believes the attack that killed 29-year-old Darya Dugina was premeditated and a contract job, based on evidence collected from the blast site.

On Monday, Putin expressed his “sincere condolences” in a message to Dugina’s family released by the Kremlin.

“A vile, cruel crime cut short the life of Darya Dugina, a bright, talented person with a true Russian heart: one that’s kind, loving, sympathetic and open. As a journalist, scientist, philosopher and war correspondent, she honestly served the people, the Fatherland, and proved with her deeds what it means to be a patriot of Russia,” the Russian leader said in his message, as quoted by TASS news agency.

Putin also wished the family of the journalist strength and courage in connection with the tragedy.

According to the press service of the Russian Investigative Committee, Darya, daughter of 60-year-old Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin, was driving to Moscow on Saturday evening when “an explosive device, presumably installed in the Toyota Land Cruiser, went off on a public road and the car caught fire.”

The bomb is believed to have been detonated remotely.

Darya died at the scene in the vicinity of the village of Bolshiye Vyazemy at around 9.00 p.m. local time. Her father, however, is thought to have been the likely target of the attack.

Separately on Monday, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Ukraine’s secret services had carried out the weekend murder of Darya.

“The crime was prepared and committed by Ukrainian special services,” said the FSB in a statement, adding that the attack was carried out by a 43-year-old Ukrainian woman that had fled to Estonia, an EU member.

According to FSB, the perpetrator entered Russia in July 2022 with her underage daughter and rented an apartment in the same building where Dugina lived.

The FSB in its statement identified the woman as Natalia Vovk, adding that she was at the annual festival “Tradition” outside Moscow that Dugin and his daughter Darya attended on Saturday.

This is while reports from Russian media suggested that Darya borrowed her father’s vehicle at the last minute.

Mykhaylo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, had denied on Sunday that Kiev authorities were behind the bombing.

Source: Presstv