Russia blames Ukraine for fatal Moscow car bomb
STORY: Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of orchestrating the car-bombing that killed the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist near Moscow over the weekend.
Russian investigators said Darya Dugina was killed on Saturday when a bomb placed in a Toyota Land Cruiser exploded.
Dugina's father, Alexander Dugin, is a prominent advocate for Russian military expansion. In his first public statement on his daughter's death, Dugin said Darya had been savagely killed by Ukraine.
Ukraine, which has been fending off a Russian military invasion for nearly six months, has denied any involvement in the bombing.
Saturday's attack comes after a number of recent high-profile explosions in Russian-controlled territory, which some suspect could showcase Ukraine's ability to launch long-range attacks or sabotage, but Kyiv has so far not claimed responsibility.
Kyiv on Monday banned public celebrations of its national independence day, marking 31 years of freedom from Soviet rule, due to fears of retaliatory Russian rocket attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a weekend video address, said Moscow could try "something particularly ugly" in the run-up to Wednesday, which also marks half a year since Russia invaded.
Russia launched what it calls a "special military operation" on Feb. 24, which Moscow said aimed to demilitarize its smaller neighbor and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and its Western backers accuse Moscow of waging an imperial-style war of conquest.
Rusian President Vladimir Putin paid tribute to Darya Dugina as a Russian patriot. Moscow's FSB security service was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying the attack on Dugina was carried out by a Ukrainian woman who surveilled Dugina around Moscow for days, and then fled to neighboring Estonia after the attack.
Estonia's foreign ministry declined to comment and there was no immediate comment from Estonia's interior ministry or police and border guard service.
Alexander Dugin said a memorial service for his daughter will be held on Tuesday.
