Senior Putin ally killed in Moscow car bomb after son 'posted his number plate online'

A senior ally of Vladimir Putin ally was killed in a Moscow car bomb after his son allegedly posted his number plate online.

Lieutenant General Damir Davydov, who led the Kremlin's missile and artillery directorate, was inside a BMW X3 when it exploded in the Balashikha district of the Russian capital.

The 57-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene after being scraped out of the burning vehicle.

The high-ranking figure's death has yet to be officially announced by Russian authorities.

According to reports, the general's son Rafael, who serves as a cadet in the Russian Army, had previously shared an image on social media showing himself beside what appears to be the same car.

The photo is believed to have displayed the vehicle's number plate clearly.

Investigators believe those responsible for the attack may have used this registration information to locate their target.

The general was not thought to have owned a BMW himself.

Footage of the incident shows flames erupting from the rear of the vehicle before it collided with a parked car nearby.

The explosive device is estimated to have contained the equivalent of up to 500 grams of TNT.

Russian authorities also later discovered and neutralised a second car bomb in southwest Moscow.

An official investigation into the suspected assassination is now underway.

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Ukrainian officials have not issued any statement regarding the incident.

Mr Davydov was responsible for supplying weaponry to Russian forces engaged in combat operations.

The location of Tuesday's blast was situated less than a mile from where another senior military figure, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, died in similar circumstances last year.

The senior official was killed by a remotely detonated device as he approached a Volkswagen in the Moscow area.

The apparent security failure comes after the Russian dictator asked his two oldest daughters and grandchildren to live with him in his secret, high-security complex in the Valdai forest amid fears of being assassinated.

Maria Vorontsova, 41, and Katerina Tikhonova, 39, have reportedly moved to their father's palace complex at Valdai on the Black Sea coast.

His wealthy daughter, Maria Vorontsova, 41, has moved in with her dictator dad along with her two children.

She is also joined by her younger sister, Katerina Tikhonova, 39, a former acrobatic dancer, and her son, an investigation by We Can Explain has revealed.

The estate is located around 230 miles north west of Moscow and is already home to Mr Putin's long-term partner, gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 43, and their two children, Ivan, 11, and Vladimir Jr, six.

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