On Wednesday, June 10th, Russian Army Lieutenant General Damir Davydov succumbed to a car bomb attack on the outskirts of Moscow. Davydov, who was responsible for missile and artillery ammunition supply at the Russian Ministry of Defense, was considered a key figure in the Russian military logistics system.
According to Russian newspaper “Kommersant,” the explosion occurred around 5:30 a.m. in a residential area in Balashikha near Moscow, where Davydov was traveling in a BMW X3 sports utility vehicle.
Witness videos of the scene showed the car’s rear bursting into flames and emitting thick smoke upon the explosion, crashing into nearby vehicles. Despite Davydov being rescued urgently from the burning vehicle, he ultimately succumbed to his severe injuries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later confirmed the explosion, stating that relevant authorities are conducting an investigation. Russia’s Investigative Committee announced the opening of an investigation into the incident, but has not yet disclosed the nature of the case or information on suspects.
Multiple media reports revealed that investigators are looking into whether this attack is linked to Davydov’s family’s social media activity.
It was reported that Davydov’s son Rafael Davydov had previously shared a photo on social media posing with his father in their car, where the license plate was clearly visible.
Some analysts speculate that the attackers might have used publicly available license plate information to track the vehicle’s movements and plan the assassination. However, Russian authorities have not officially confirmed these theories.
According to the Russian independent media outlet “Meduza,” there is currently no independent verification of the direct link between the alleged exposure of license plate information and the explosion. Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the incident.
Previously, there have been several incidents of high-ranking Russian military officers being killed in car bomb attacks. Just over a year ago, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, the Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, was also killed in a car bomb attack in Balashikha.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that the suspect Ignat Kuzin, acting on instructions from the Ukrainian intelligence agency, had installed an explosive device in Moskalik’s vehicle. The suspect was subsequently arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.