Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, denied Ukrainian involvement, adding that Ukraine is “not a criminal state, unlike Russia.” He suggested it could be the result of an internal squabble.
Experts were similarly skeptical.
“Those responsible are either those who expect more aggressive actions in Ukraine from Putin, or those who want to provoke harsher repressions inside the country,” Andrei Kolesnikov, a Moscow-based Russian political analyst and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said, referring to the Kremlin’s crackdown on internal dissent.
“That is, it’s hardly the Ukrainians, and rather someone from the Russian special service,” he said.
Meanwhile, a previously unknown group called the National Republican Army (NRA), emerged to unexpectedly claim responsibility for the bombing on Sunday, according to a former Russian lawmaker.
Exiled Russian opposition figure Ilya Ponomarev read out a message he claimed was from the group on Ukrainian TV. It called Putin “a usurper of power” whose regime should be overthrown.
NBC News could not independently verify the group’s existence or whether it was involved in Dugina’s death, and reached out to Ponomarev for comment.
Giles called the sudden emergence of the group “deeply suspicious,” suggesting it’s far more likely that Dugina’s death is the result of an internal Russian intrigue — possibly even something as prosaic as a business dispute, like those that led to similar incidents in the chaotic fallout of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
What effect could her killing have on the war in Ukraine?
Dugina’s death comes as Ukraine is bracing for potential Russian escalation this week, as its Aug. 24 independence day coincides with the six-month anniversary of the war.
It also comes on the heels of increasing Ukrainian attacks deep behind Russian defensive lines, including in annexed Crimea, which have been seen as a strategic and symbolic blow to Putin’s war effort.
Russia made gains in the eastern Donbas region over the summer but has seemingly seen its offensive there stall, while Ukraine has been seeking to launch a counteroffensive against areas Russian forces control in the country’s south.
Giles said killing Dugina — or intending to kill her father — in such a public and violent way would be counter to Ukraine’s intentions. “Ukraine has a strong interest in remaining being seen as the good side in this conflict that will not resort to Russia’s own methods,” he said.
“Whatever lies behind [it], it does provide an excuse for Russia to undertake all manner of actions in response — whether domestically or against Ukraine,” Giles added.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
