Russian general killed in Moscow car bombing; suspects arrested in separate attack

Col. Damir Davydov, a senior Russian general responsible for ammunition supplies, was assassinated in a car bombing outside Moscow on June 9, 2026. In a separate incident, a second car bomb was discovered, leading to the arrest of two teenage suspects. The Kremlin confirmed an explosion but has unusually refused to name the victim. Russian media has attributed the assassination to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), though Ukraine has not commented.

Moscow car bombings

• ▪Two car bomb incidents occurred in Moscow on June 9, 2026; one detonated in eastern Moscow and a second was discovered in southwestern Moscow.
• ▪The second, non-fatal car bomb discovered in southwestern Moscow targeted an employee of a scientific production enterprise.

Damir Davydov assassination

• ▪The assassination took place in the Aviatorov neighborhood, less than a kilometer from where Lieutenant-General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in 2025.
• ▪The assassination occurred outside Davydov's home in Balashikha, a town about six miles from Moscow.
• ▪A bomb with the equivalent of nearly 400 grams of TNT was reportedly placed under the driver's seat of Davydov's car.
• ▪Col. Damir Davydov, head of the Russian defense ministry’s missile and artillery wing, was killed in a car bombing on June 9, 2026.

Kremlin investigation response

• ▪Russian authorities and Peskov did not officially confirm the identity of the victim killed in the Balashikha bombing.
• ▪Russian independent outlet The Insider attributed responsibility for Davydov's assassination to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).
• ▪Russian independent media site Agentstvo reported this is the first time the Kremlin has refused to name the victim in a military official's assassination.

Ukrainian assassination operations

• ▪A Ukrainian database alleged Davydov was involved in planning Russia's 2022 invasion and organizing ammunition supplies for Russian troops.
• ▪Since 2022, Ukrainian military intelligence has claimed responsibility for assassinating several senior Russian officers.
• ▪At least two teenagers were arrested in connection with the second, non-fatal car bomb in southwestern Moscow.
• ▪Ukraine has not officially commented on the assassination.

Teenage bombing suspects arrested

• ▪The teenage boy placed the bomb and a GPS tracker on the target's car.
• ▪The two teenage suspects have been charged, and there were no casualties from the second bombing.
• ▪Investigators stated a teenage girl was instructed by unidentified people to pick up the bomb and give it to a teenage boy to plant.

5 sources