What do the Russians say about Ukraine's advances?
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Washington (CNN) --
The US intelligence community believes the car bombing that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of prominent Russian political figure Alexander Dugin, was authorized by elements within the Ukrainian government. informed intelligence sources told CNN.
The United States was not aware of the plan beforehand, according to the sources, and it is still unclear who exactly might have approved the assassination.
It is also unclear whether the US intelligence community believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was aware of the plan or authorized it.
Darya Dugina's death offers a glimpse into Russia's great disinformation machine and the influential women who lead it
But the intelligence finding, first reported by The New York Times, would appear to corroborate elements of the Russian authorities' conclusion that the car bombing was "planned in advance."
Russia had accused Ukrainian citizens of being responsible for the attack, something that Ukraine has flatly denied after the explosion.
Ukrainian government officials did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment.
The National Security Council, the CIA and the State Department declined to comment.
US intelligence services believe that Dugina was driving her father's car the night he died, and that her father was the real target of the operation, according to one of the sources.
Dugin is a Russian ultranationalist and philosopher who has been a fierce supporter of Russia's war in Ukraine.
A friend of Dugina's also told the Russian state media outlet TASS shortly after the blast that the car he was driving was his father's.
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ANALYSIS |
Car bombs and confusion: the murder of Darya Dugina is a memory of the Russia of the 90s
Information surrounding Ukraine's involvement, if accurate, would point to a bold expansion of Ukraine's covert operations to attack a well-known political figure outside of Moscow.
To date, Ukrainian attacks inside Russia have been largely limited to attacks on fuel depots and military bases in cities along the Russia-Ukraine border, such as Belgorod.
But the United States does not have good visibility into all of Ukraine's planned attacks, the sources told CNN.
war in ukraine
