Russian army's artillery chief assassinated near Moscow in car bombing, second in one day - report

A senior Russian military official, identified by independent media as Colonel Damir Davydov, head of the Kremlin's defense ministry's artillery wing, was assassinated in a car bombing outside his home in Balashikha, a town near Moscow. The Russian independent outlet The Insider reported that Ukraine's Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) was responsible for the attack.

Ukraine has not officially commented on the incident. Russian authorities have been notably tight-lipped, with Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refusing to confirm the victim's identity. Peskov stated only that a man was killed and that investigations are ongoing, adding that details are not subject to disclosure. This marks the first instance where the Kremlin has refused to acknowledge the identity of a Russian military official assassinated in such a manner, according to Russian independent media site Agentstvo.

Eyewitness accounts cited by The Insider suggest Davydov was alive immediately after the blast but died while awaiting emergency services. Unverified reports on Russian Telegram channels indicated a car bomb equivalent to nearly 400 grams of TNT was placed under the driver's seat. The incident occurred less than a kilometer from the 2025 assassination site of Lieutenant-General Yaroslav Moskalik. Davydov resided in the Aviatorov neighborhood, where apartments are allocated by the Russian Defense Ministry.

According to The Insider, Davydov was a target due to alleged war crimes. A Ukrainian database, the "book of executioners," reportedly implicated him in planning Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and organizing ammunition for Russian troops. This assassination follows a recent escalation in Russian strikes on Ukraine, including a significant increase in glide bombs and drone attacks in March and May.

In a separate incident on the same day, Russian authorities discovered a second car bomb in southwestern Moscow, reportedly intended for an employee of a scientific production enterprise. The circumstances of its detonation remain unclear. Russian investigative services reported that a teenage girl was instructed by unidentified individuals to pick up the bomb.

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An explosion took place, but the details, as you understand, are not subject to disclosure in connection with the investigation that is underway. Of course, this is a matter for our special services.