Russia identifies 2nd suspect in blast that killed daughter of Putin ally

Russian investigators on Monday said they had identified the second suspect in the murder of Darya Dugina, a strident supporter of the war in Ukraine and daughter of a prominent ally of President Vladimir Putin.

The alleged accomplice in the murder plot was a Ukrainian born in 1978 who entered the country via Estonia on July 30, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has said to TASS news agency.

The FSB named the man and claimed he had helped prepare the crime and then left Russia again.

Dugina, a 29-year-old Russian nationalist commentator who frequently appeared on pro-Kremlin media, died when the car she was driving exploded on the outskirts of Moscow on Aug. 20.

Russia quickly blamed Ukrainian intelligence services for the attack and said they had identified the main suspect.

A Ukrainian woman was said to have rented a flat in Dugina’s building to observe her.

The FSB said the woman was born in 1979 and entered Russia at the end of July.

She then departed Russia via Estonia directly after the bombing.

Kiev denies any involvement in the attack.

Most analysts believed her father, ultra-nationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin, was the true target.

International media frequently refer to him as Putin’s brain.