A car bomb in the Moscow region has killed a general in charge of heavy ammunition supplies for the Russian army, according to reports. The explosion tore through a vehicle in Balashikha, killing its driver, named as Damir Davydov, head of the Russian defence ministry’s missile and artillery wing. A second car bomb was discovered in south-west Moscow and was blown up by authorities.
The killing is the latest in a series of audacious assassinations of senior figures involved in Moscow’s war effort, with Ukrainian security services either claiming responsibility or being blamed by Russian authorities. The blast comes as Ukraine continues to strike energy infrastructure deep inside Russia, causing disruptions that have triggered panic-buying of fuel in the Krasnodar region. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said: “Against the backdrop of a difficult situation in neighbouring regions, many people decided to stock up on gasoline, which caused artificial panic buying.”
“Car bomb in Moscow region kills Russian ammunition chief Damir Davydov.”
Separately, a Ukrainian drone attack started a fire in a fuel tank in Russia’s southern Rostov region, according to governor Yuri Slyusar, who said there was no early indication of casualties. In Dagestan, a gas pipeline explosion shook the town of Kizilyurt, with the mayor’s office saying a gas distribution station was believed to have been engulfed. The city of Novokuibyshevsk in the Samara region was also under drone attack, said regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, who closed the area’s airspace. The Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery, run by Russian state oil company Rosneft, is located nearby.
As the war grinds on, the European Union has proposed further sanctions, including banning Russian soldiers from entering member states, maintaining a price cap on Russian oil at $44 until January 2027, and adding 30 “shadow fleet” oil tankers to its blacklist. The proposals also extend for the first time to Russian fish imports, with a potential ban on cod, and restrictions on imports of Russian metals, ores and car parts worth €60m (£52m).