Car Bombing in Moscow Claims Life of Russian Ammunition Chief
WHO:
The Guardian - Damir Davydov, head of the Russian defense ministry’s missile and artillery wing, was killed.
Meduza - Davydov was reported to be 57 years old, with some sources citing his age as 62.
Meduza - Rafail Davydov, Damir Davydov's father, worked at the Start production association, which manufactured nuclear missiles.
WHAT:
The Guardian - An explosive device planted underneath a BMW detonated at about 5:30 a.m. as Damir Davydov was driving near his home in Balashikha.
The Guardian - The Kremlin confirmed that Vladimir Putin had been informed about the explosion.
The Guardian - Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stated that information related to the ongoing investigation cannot be disclosed.
The Guardian - A bystander who tried to help Davydov reported, “All of his clothes were on fire. I put out the flames on his T-shirt and tore it off so it wouldn’t burn his skin … Looking at him, it was clear he was unlikely to survive.”
The Guardian - A separate incident in Moscow involved an attempt to kill an employee of a scientific-industrial enterprise, where a teenage girl allegedly retrieved an explosive device from a dead drop on the instructions of Ukrainian handlers.
The Guardian - An oil refinery in the Russian city of Samara was struck by Ukrainian drones, igniting a fire.
The Kyiv Independent - A manufacturing facility in Cheboksary was targeted by missiles, resulting in three injuries.
The Kyiv Independent - The Vtorovo oil pumping station in Russia's Vladimir Oblast was also targeted, causing a fire at the site.
The Kyiv Independent - Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 326 Ukrainian drones across 21 Russian regions overnight.
The Guardian - Disruptions to fuel supplies in Russia’s Krasnodar region have triggered panic-buying, according to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
The Guardian - An oil depot fire in Ust-Labinsk, Krasnodar, was extinguished after a Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday.
The Kyiv Independent - Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil refinery in Samara, igniting a fire at the Kuybyshevskiy oil refinery.
The Kyiv Independent - A manufacturing facility in Cheboksary was targeted by missiles, resulting in three injuries.
The Kyiv Independent - Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 326 Ukrainian drones across 21 Russian regions overnight.
The Guardian - A car bomb exploded in Balashikha, killing Davydov and the driver.
Meduza - The explosion occurred around 5:30 a.m. as Davydov was pulling out of a parking space.
Meduza - An explosive device with the force of up to 500 grams of TNT was placed under Davydov's vehicle.
Meduza - A second car bomb was discovered and detonated by authorities in southwest Moscow.
The Guardian - A criminal case has been opened by the Russian federal Investigative Committee regarding the explosion.
WHERE:
The Kyiv Independent - The Kuybyshevskiy oil refinery is located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukraine-Russia border.
The Kyiv Independent - Cheboksary is approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Ukraine's border with Russia.
The Kyiv Independent - The Kuybyshevskiy oil refinery is located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukraine-Russia border.
The Kyiv Independent - Cheboksary is approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Ukraine's border with Russia.
The Guardian - The car bomb exploded in Balashikha, a region near Moscow.
Meduza - The explosion occurred near Koldunova Street in Balashikha’s Aviatorov neighborhood.
WHEN:
The Kyiv Independent - The strikes on the oil refinery and manufacturing site occurred overnight on June 10.
Meduza - The car bomb explosion occurred early on June 9.
Meduza - In April 2025, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car bombing in the same neighborhood.
WHY:
The Guardian - The assassination is part of a series of attacks on senior figures involved in Moscow’s war effort, with Ukrainian security services either claiming responsibility or being blamed by Russian authorities.
HOW:
The Guardian - Authorities reported that both teenagers involved in the separate incident were detained before the device could be used.
The Kyiv Independent - The reported strikes on the oil refinery and manufacturing site were part of Ukraine's efforts to diminish Moscow's military capabilities.
Meduza - An improvised explosive device was placed under Davydov's vehicle, leading to the explosion.
(UPDATED June 10, 2026 19:49 UTC)
An explosive device detonated underneath a BMW in Balashikha early this morning, severely injuring the driver, Damir Davydov, who was reported to be unlikely to survive after a bystander attempted to extinguish the flames engulfing his clothes. The Kremlin has confirmed that President Putin was informed about the explosion, while spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that details regarding the ongoing investigation cannot be disclosed. In a separate incident in Moscow, authorities detained two teenagers who were allegedly instructed by Ukrainian handlers to retrieve an explosive device, preventing it from being used.
--
(UPDATED June 10, 2026 16:14 UTC)
Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Samara, igniting a fire, while a manufacturing facility in Cheboksary was targeted by missiles, resulting in three injuries. Additionally, the Vtorovo oil pumping station in Russia's Vladimir Oblast was also hit, causing another fire at the site. In response, Russia's Defense Ministry reported that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 326 Ukrainian drones across 21 Russian regions overnight.
--
(UPDATED June 10, 2026 08:18 UTC)
Disruptions to fuel supplies in Russia's Krasnodar region have led to panic-buying, as reported by Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, following a fire at an oil depot in Ust-Labinsk that was triggered by a Ukrainian drone attack. In addition, Ukrainian drones struck the Kuybyshevskiy oil refinery in Samara, about 800 kilometers from the Ukraine-Russia border, while missiles targeted a manufacturing facility in Cheboksary, resulting in three injuries. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 326 Ukrainian drones across 21 Russian regions overnight, indicating ongoing efforts by Ukraine to diminish Moscow's military capabilities.
--
(UPDATED June 10, 2026 06:23 UTC)
In a significant development, Damir Davydov, the head of the Russian defense ministry’s missile and artillery wing, was killed in a car bomb explosion in Balashikha, a region near Moscow. The blast occurred around 5:30 a.m. as Davydov was pulling out of a parking space, with an explosive device equivalent to the force of up to 500 grams of TNT placed under his vehicle, and authorities later discovered and detonated a second car bomb in southwest Moscow. This assassination is part of a troubling trend of attacks on senior figures involved in Moscow’s war effort, with Ukrainian security services either claiming responsibility or being blamed by Russian authorities.