Car bomb kills Russian ammunition chief near Moscow; second device defused in the capital

The attack in Balashikha

A car bomb exploded in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha on Tuesday, killing Damir Davydov, the head of the Russian defence ministry's missile and artillery wing. The blast occurred around 05:30 local time (02:30 GMT) on Koldunovo Street in the Aviátorov microdistrict, a neighbourhood originally built for military personnel. Davydov was driving a BMW X3 when the device, placed under the driver's seat, detonated.

On 9 June 2026, at around 05:30 Moscow time, a BMW X3 exploded next to a building on Koldunovo Street in the Aviátorov microdistrict of the city of Balashikha. The driver suffered multiple injuries, as a result of which he died.

Witnesses told RenTV that the victim was still alive when pulled from the burning vehicle. One witness described hearing the driver "snoring and shouting something" before a second explosion engulfed the car in flames. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case but has not publicly suggested a motive or attributed responsibility.

A pattern of targeted killings

Russian media and social networks immediately noted the similarity to previous operations attributed to Ukrainian intelligence. In the same neighbourhood, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff, was killed in 2025 by an improvised device attached to his car. Several audacious assassinations of senior figures involved in Moscow's war effort have occurred throughout the conflict, with Ukrainian security services either claiming responsibility or being blamed by Russian authorities.

If confirmed, this attack would be the second assassination of a high-ranking Russian army commander in the vicinity of the capital in the last four months.

Second device and wider security picture

Authorities discovered and destroyed a second car bomb in southwest Moscow on the same day, according to reports. The Kremlin has not ruled out Ukrainian involvement. The attack comes amid a wave of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure across several southern regions and Russian-held Crimea.

Fuel disruptions across southern Russia

In the Krasnodar region, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported panic-buying of gasoline triggered by disruptions to fuel supplies. Emergency services only extinguished an oil depot fire in Ust-Labinsk on Tuesday, three days after a Ukrainian drone strike on Saturday. A drone attack also started a fire in a fuel tank in the Millerovsky district of the Rostov region, just over the Ukrainian border. In Dagestan, explosions shook the town of Kizilyurt as a gas pipeline blew up, with the mayor's office saying the fire likely engulfed a gas distribution station.

Against the backdrop of a difficult situation in neighbouring regions, many people decided to stock up on gasoline, which caused artificial panic buying.

EU sanctions push

Separately, the EU is advancing further sanctions against Russia. The European Commission proposes banning Russian soldiers from entering member states and targeting banks, crypto firms, and Kremlin oil revenues. The package includes a ban on imports of Russian metals, ores, and car parts worth €60 million, plus export restrictions on metals and alloys used in aerospace and defence, including drone equipment and launch systems.