Shock and anger have engulfed Russia over the cruel assassination of 29-year-old daughter of famous Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin.

Dugin’s daughter Darya Dugina was killed after her Toyota Land Cruiser blew up while she was returning from a literary and musical event at the outskirts of Moscow. Images of her grieving father, standing close to the flaming vehicle, with hands over his head have flooded the internet.

The tragedy has struck a chord of collective grief among Russians. Muscovites lit candles, and placed flowers at an impromptu memorial in the Russian capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin personally amplified the sombre mood, which quickly mutated into resolve seeking a befitting response to the murder.

In a statement published by the Kremlin, Putin said: “A vile, cruel crime cut short the life of Daria Dugina, a bright, talented person with a real Russian heart – kind, loving, sympathetic and open.”

“A journalist, scientist, philosopher, war correspondent, she honestly served the people, the Fatherland, she proved by deed what it means to be a patriot of Russia”, it added.

In death, may she never be forgotten as a martyr for traditionalist ideas. pic.twitter.com/RxMEQTEST2

— Antelope Hill Publishing (@AntelopeHill) August 22, 2022

On Monday, Dugin blamed the Ukrainian government for the murder and said he wanted a military victory rather than revenge.

“As you know, in a terrorist act by the Nazi Ukrainian regime, my daughter Darya was savagely murdered before my eyes on August 20, while returning from the ‘Tradition’ festival near Moscow,” Dugin said in a statement released by his ally, conservative tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev.

Darya was “a beautiful Orthodox girl, a patriot, a military correspondent, a TV expert and a philosopher. Her speeches and reporting have always been profound, grounded and restrained. She never called for violence or war. She was a rising star at the beginning of her journey,” Dugin wrote. “The enemies of Russia killed here dishonourably, on the sly.”

Such acts of terrorism want to break the will of Russians by targeting the best and most vulnerable among them, Dugin said, adding that the terrorists will not succeed. Wishing for simple revenge or retribution would be “too petty, and un-Russian,” he added.

“Instead, we need victory,” Dugin wrote. “So, win, please!”

At a memorial service held at Ostankino TV Centre in Moscow, Dugin said: “She had no fear, really. And the last time we talked at the festival Tradition, she said: “Daddy, I feel like a warrior, I feel like a hero, <...> I want to be with my country. I want to be on the light side of the force.”

Andy Vermaut shares:Slain daughter of Russian elite hailed as a martyr in funeral: The daughter of top Vladimir Putin ally killed in a car bomb, Darya Dugina, was idolized as a… https://t.co/Zb7kj5irbV Thank you. #ThankYouJournalistsForTheNewsWeGetFromYou #AndyVermautThanksYou pic.twitter.com/1nncT3kcZM

— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) August 23, 2022

He added that he had wanted to bring up his daughter the way he saw the ideal person. “The first words that we taught her as a child were ‘Russia’, ‘our state’, ‘our people’ and ‘our empire’.”

On a parallel track, investigations to nail the mastermind of the assassination have gathered pace. Russia Today (RT) is reporting that the Russian security service has released a video showing Ukrainian citizen Natalia Vovk, entering Russia as a brunette in a vehicle last month that had Donetsk People’s Republic license plates. Vovk also rented an apartment in the same building in Moscow as Dugina. Vovk apparently left the country hurriedly and crossed into Estonia in a vehicle with Ukrainian license plates and her hair dyed blonde.

Darya #Dugina Assassination:
Russia releases video of suspected Moscow car bomber Natalya Vovk – a Ukrainian national, member of the neo-Nazi Azov regiment. Entered Russia on July 23; rented an apartment in the same building where Dugina lived. All red lines are gone! pic.twitter.com/w7e04bxhWk

— Alan Watson (@DietHeartNews) August 22, 2022

During her stay in Moscow, she used a vehicle with Kazakh number plates, the Russian secret service, FSB was quoted as saying.

Also Read: Remembering Daria Dugina—victim of a Moscow terror strike