Putin's key ally - Who is Alexander Dugin? His daughter killed in car bombing - Things to know

Russia Ukraine war recent development: The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has canceled his planned attendance at an interfaith meeting in Kazakhstan next month where he was expected to meet with Pope Francis, a top Orthodox official said, in a sign of further deterioration in relations over Russia's war in Ukraine.

Furthermore, Russian forces Wednesday launched a rocket attack on a Ukrainian train station on the embattled country's Independence Day, killing 22 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after warning for days that Moscow might attempt "something particularly cruel" this week.

The lethal attack took place in Chaplyne, a town of about 3,500 people in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian news agencies quoted Zelenskyy as telling the UN Security Council via video. The president's office also reported that an 11-year-old child was killed by rocket fire earlier in the day in the settlement.

"Chaplyne is our pain today," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation.

Earlier, Darya Dugina was killed when a remotely-controlled explosive device planted in her SUV blew up on Saturday night as she was driving on the outskirts of Moscow, ripping the vehicle apart and killing her on the spot, authorities said.  Russian media quoted witnesses as saying that the SUV belonged to Alexander Dugin and that he had decided at the last minute to travel in another vehicle.

Who is Alexander Dugin? 

Alexander Dugin is Darya Dugina's father, a philosopher, writer and political theorist who ardently supports Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send troops into Ukraine, was widely believed to be the intended target. He is believed to be Putin's brain and has written more than 30 books. He is the author of a very famous geopolitical book named- The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia. This book holds a significant influence on the Russian military strategies. 

During the memorial service at the Ostankino television centre that topped newscasts on state television, the 60-year-old Dugin shared what he said were his daughter's last words to him, spoken at a nationalist festival they both attended just before her death: "Father, I feel like a warrior, I feel like a hero. I want to be one. I don't want any different fate. I want to be with my people, with my country.

Speaking at a separate event Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced Dugina's killing as a "barbaric crime for which there is no forgiveness."

The car bombing, unusual for Moscow since the gang wars of the turbulent 1990s, triggered calls from Russian nationalists to respond by ramping up strikes on Ukraine. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the bombing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed the denial on Tuesday, telling a news conference in Kyiv about Dugina's killing: "That is not our responsibility. She is not a citizen of our country. We are not interested in her."

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted in a statement published by the Kremlin, Putin said: `A vile, cruel crime cut short the life of Daria Dugina, a bright, talented person with a real Russian heart - kind, loving, sympathetic and open.`

`A journalist, scientist, philosopher, war correspondent, she honestly served the people, the Fatherland, she proved by deed what it means to be a patriot of Russia,` it added.

 (With agency inputs)