The daughter of a close ally to Russia's President Vladimir Putin has reportedly been killed near Moscow.

According to state media, Darya Dugina died after her car exploded in flames while she was travelling home.

It is not clear if her father, the Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin who is known as "Putin's brain," was the intended target of an attack.

Mr Dugin is a prominent ultra-nationalist ideologue who is believed to be close to the Russian president.

According to Russian media outlet 112, the pair were due to travel back from an event on Saturday evening in the same car before Mr Dugin made the decision to travel separately from his daughter at the last minute.

Unverified footage posted on Telegram appears to show Mr Dugin watching in shock as emergency services arrive at the scene of the burning wreck of a vehicle.

The BBC has not been able to verify the footage independently.

There has been no official comment from Russian authorities so far.

Despite not holding an official position in government, Ms Dugina's father is a close ally of the Russian president and has even been branded "Putin's Rasputin".

The philosopher's daughter, Darya Dugina, was herself a prominent journalist and commentator who supported the Russian invasion.

Earlier this year, she was sanctioned by UK authorities who accused the 30-year-old of contributing to online "disinformation" in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Alexander Dugin's ultra-nationalist writings are credited with deeply shaping Vladimir Putin's worldview and he is closely associated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The ideologue has previously expressed his support for Russian aggression towards Ukraine and was placed under US sanctions in 2015 for his alleged involvement in Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by Leo Sands

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