Brazen Attack Near Moscow Rattles Russians
New York Times
Day 181 Roundup: Russia Blames Ukrainian Spy for Dugina Murder; Zelenskyy Vows to Retake Crimea
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Image copyright: Russian FSB [via RIA Novosti]
The Facts
On Mon., Russia's intelligence and security service, the FSB, blamed its Ukrainian counterpart for a car bomb that killed Darya Dugina – daughter of Putin-ally Aleksander Dugin – in the outskirts of Moscow last week. Having conducted "urgent detective measures," the FSB alleged that Natalia Vovk, a Ukrainian citizen, was the perpetrator, and found that "the crime was prepared and committed by Ukrainian secret services."
The FSB released a video which they said showed Vovk enter Russia with her daughter on July 23, followed by doorbell camera footage which they said showed her enter the Moscow apartment building where Dugina lived. The final clip allegedly shows Vovk leave the country on Aug. 21 via the Russia-Estonia border, one day after the car bomb detonated.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
Each claim the FSB makes over Dugina's death raises more questions than it answers. According to the security service, Natalia Vovk entered Russia with her daughter, moved around undetected while frequently changing the plates on her Mini Cooper, and then planted and detonated a professional explosive device before leaving the country. The speed at which the FSB has discovered 'conclusive' video evidence, especially while it has failed to solve the high-profile murders of Putin critics, prompts scepticism.
Pro-Russia narrative
Not only does the FSB video show Vovk enter the country with a licence plate from the Donetsk People's Republic, she is pictured using plates from Kazakhstan in Moscow and Ukrainian plates as she left the nation. She was also recorded attending the event at which Dugina was a guest speaker on the day she was killed. Is this the behavior of an innocent person?
