A car bomb killed a senior Russian defense official near Moscow. The victim was reportedly Damir Davydov, head of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate.
Key facts
- •A car bomb killed a senior Russian defense official near Moscow on June 9.
- •The victim was reportedly Damir Davydov, head of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate.
- •Davydov was 57 and grew up in the closed city of Penza-19, also known as Zarechny.
- •The device had the explosive force of up to 500 grams of TNT.
- •The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case but did not disclose the charge.
- •The explosion occurred in the Aviatorov neighborhood, which was originally built for military retirees.
A car bomb killed a senior Russian defense official outside Moscow on June 9. The explosion occurred around 5:30 a.m. near Koldunova Street in Balashikha's Aviatorov neighborhood. The driver, reportedly Damir Davydov, died at the scene.
Victim and Incident
The Russian federal Investigative Committee and the prosecutor's office for the Moscow region confirmed an explosion had taken place in Balashikha but did not name the victim. Several Telegram channels and Ukrainian outlets reported that the victim was Damir Davydov, head of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of Russia's Defense Ministry. A source cited by the independent Russian outlet Astra also confirmed Davydov's death, saying an improvised explosive device had been placed under the vehicle.
Davydov's Background
Davydov was listed in the Myrotvorets database, which publishes information about people considered a threat to Ukraine's security. According to Ukrainian sources, Davydov was 57 and grew up in the closed city of Penza-19, also known as Zarechny. His father, Rafail Davydov, worked at the Start production association, which manufactured nuclear missiles. A December 2009 article in the Defense Ministry newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda identified Davydov as commander of the Central Test Technical Bureau attached to the 51st Arsenal of the Defense Ministry's Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, with the rank of colonel.
Investigation and Context
The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case but did not disclose the charge. The Russian business daily Kommersant reported that the device had the explosive force of up to 500 grams of TNT. The Aviatorov neighborhood, where the explosion occurred, was originally built as a residential district for military retirees. In April 2025, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, was killed when a bomb destroyed his car in the same neighborhood.
This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Meduza (English).
