Russian military official killed in car bombing outside Moscow, media reports

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Damir Davydov, a Russian military official responsible for supplying missile and artillery ammunition to the front, was killed in a car bombing outside Moscow on June 9, Russian independent investigative outlet The Insider reported.

Yet Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined on June 10 to disclose the victim's identity, citing an ongoing investigation. Peskov added that President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the incident.

The Russian independent media outlet Agentstvo reported on June 10 that this is the first instance in which Russian authorities have declined to disclose the identity of a victim in the assassination of a high-ranking military official.

The explosion occurred at about 5:30 a.m. local time in the city of Balashikha, roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles) east of the Russian capital. Russian authorities confirmed that a man was killed in the blast but have not officially disclosed the victim's identity.

Davydov reportedly headed a department responsible for missile and artillery ammunition supplies within Russia's Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU).

The blast occurred as a BMW X3 was traveling near an apartment building on Koldunova Street in Balashikha's Aviatorov district, Russia's Investigative Committee said.

According to The Insider, eyewitnesses said Davydov was still alive immediately after the explosion, though unconfirmed reports cited by the outlet suggested he died before paramedics arrived.

The victim died from injuries sustained in the explosion, investigators said. The Investigative Committee announced the opening of a criminal case but did not specify the charges being pursued.

Russian Telegram channel 112 reported that an explosive device placed beneath the driver's seat had a yield equivalent to 300-400 grams of TNT.

Earlier in the day, Russian Telegram channels reported that the victim may have been Davydov. Independent outlet Astra said a witness at the scene heard emergency responders mention the name "Damir." The outlet also reported that records it reviewed showed that a man matching Davydov's profile had previously lived on the same street where the explosion occurred.

The Aviatorov district is a residential neighborhood originally built for Russian military personnel and their families. According to Astra, apartments there are distributed through Russia's Defense Ministry to military retirees, combat veterans, and relatives of service members.

The bombing occurred less than one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the site where Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy chief of the Main Operations Directorate of Russia's General Staff, was killed in a car bombing in April 2025, Astra reported.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear. Ukrainian authorities had not commented on the incident as of publication.

Ukraine has previously targeted Russian military officials and other figures involved in Moscow's full-scale invasion. However, no evidence has emerged linking Kyiv to the Balashikha bombing.