Russian colonel killed in explosion near Moscow

A senior Russian military official was killed in a bomb blast near Moscow on Tuesday, media reported.

An explosive device planted under a BMW detonated at around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday as Colonel Damir Davydov was driving near his home in the city of Balashikha, the independent Astra website reported. It is the latest in a series of assassinations targeting Russian military officials and prominent figures supporting the war in Ukraine, the Guardian reported.

Davydov, 57, headed the Russian army's administration for supplying artillery and rocket ammunition.

The Kremlin confirmed today that an explosion had occurred and that Vladimir Putin had been informed. Asked about the investigation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to provide details, saying: “As you understand, information related to the ongoing investigation cannot be disclosed. This is, of course, a matter for our special services.”

Security camera footage released by Russian media shows the vehicle engulfed in flames and crashing into a parked car. The Telegram channel Mash reported that passersby rushed to pull the driver from the wreckage, but he soon died from his injuries.

A passerby who tried to help Davidov told Astra that the colonel was still alive when he was pulled from the vehicle.

"All his clothes were on fire. I put out the fire on his T-shirt and tore it off so that his skin wouldn't burn... When I saw him, it was clear to me that his chances of survival were slim," the man said.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the incident.

Without directly blaming Ukraine, Vladimir Shamanov, a Russian lawmaker and retired general, condemned the attack as “outrageous,” adding: “Such audacity should be met with equal measure.”

Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian intelligence services have targeted dozens of senior Russian military officers and officials installed by Moscow in the occupied territories, accusing many of them of involvement in war crimes.

The latest killing will increase pressure on Russia's internal security apparatus and raise questions about its ability to protect senior officials. It comes despite heightened security measures imposed for top military and political figures, including Vladimir Putin, after a series of high-profile attacks.

In an additional embarrassment for the security services, the attack occurred less than a mile from where, just over a year ago, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in a similar explosion.

Little is known about the clandestine Ukrainian networks believed to operate inside Russia and in Russian-controlled territories, carrying out assassinations and attacks on military infrastructure far behind the front lines, writes the British "Guardian".

Successful operations by Ukrainian intelligence services targeting Russian officials are believed to be one of the reasons for the increasing number of internet shutdowns in Russia, a measure that has sparked public discontent across the country.

Russian state media reported on Tuesday a separate incident in Moscow, saying there was an attempted assassination of an employee at a scientific-industrial enterprise.

Citing Russia's Investigative Committee, RIA Novosti reported that a minor girl allegedly retrieved an explosive device from a secret shelter on the instructions of Ukrainian agents and handed it to a minor boy. Authorities said both teenagers were detained before the device could be used.