Russia’s Federal Security Service’s (FSB) claim that the assassination of Darya Dugina, the daughter of the political philosopher and ideologue Aleksandr Dugin, had been “prepared and perpetrated by the Ukrainian special services” appears to have been confirmed days ago by a report published days ago by The Washington Post.
Citing unnamed “security officials with knowledge of the operation,” the report, titled “Ukrainian spies with deep ties to CIA wage shadow war against Russia,” states that Ukrainian intelligence operatives used a secret compartment inside a cat crate to smuggle bomb components into Russia; parts that were used to produce the car bomb that murdered Dugina in the summer of 2022.
The article, which details how the CIA since 2015 has invested millions of dollars to bolster Ukraine’s special services and transform them into “potent allies against Moscow,” is based on dozens of interviews with former Ukrainian, U.S., and Western intelligence and security officials. All spoke on the condition of anonymity in light of security concerns.
The report claims that the CIA has provided the Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) and its military counterpart, the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (GUR) with advanced surveillance systems and trained recruits at sites inside of Ukraine as well as the United States. The U.S. intelligence agency also established new headquarters for divisions in the GUR and bolstered its intelligence-sharing operations, according to The Washington Post.
According to the report, Aleksandr Dugin, Darya’s father, had been the intended target of the assassination plot. Following the attack and the subsequent death of Dugina, a 29-year-old journalist, Ukrainian security services denied any involvement and brushed off accusations as “Russian propaganda.”
Dugina’s murder, the report says, “continues to stand out as one of the more extreme cases” among targeted killing operations by Ukrainian intelligence that have resulted in the deaths of various individuals with links to Russia.
One high-ranking Ukrainian security official referred to the killing of Dugina as “very cynical,” and added: “We have too many enemies who are more important to neutralize. People who launch missiles. People who committed atrocities in Bucha.”
Another Ukrainian security official referred to Dugina as “the daughter of the father of Russian propaganda,” and stated that the car bombing and other targeted assassinations inside of Russia are designed to promote a narrative that communicates to enemies of Ukraine that “punishment is imminent even for those who think they are untouchable.”
The car bombing that killed Dugina, The Washington Post writes:
Underscores Ukraine’s embrace of what officials in Kyiv refer to as “liquidations” as a weapon of war. Over the past 20 months, the SBU and its military counterpart, the GUR, have carried out dozens of assassinations against Russian officials in occupied territories, alleged Ukrainian collaborators, military officers behind the front lines, and prominent war supporters deep inside Russia.
The press service of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has declined to comment on The Washington Post’s report, saying specifics regarding high-profile special operations can only be discussed after Ukraine is victorious in its war with Russia.
