A car bomb killed a senior Russian officer overseeing missile and artillery ammunition supply on June 9 in a Moscow suburb, The Insider, a Russian independent investigative outlet, reported. Russian authorities confirmed the death but have not officially identified the victim.
The Insider identified the victim as Colonel Damir Davydov, whose department within Russia’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) managed ammunition supply to front-line forces. The blast struck at approximately 5:30 a.m. in the Aviatorov district of Balashikha, roughly 6 miles east of Moscow.
A car explosion in Balashikha near Moscow killed Russian Colonel Damir Davydov, according to multiple Russian sources. Davydov reportedly headed procurement of missile and artillery ammunition within the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) of the Russian Defense… pic.twitter.com/S3ZAcuQNCj
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) June 9, 2026
Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed the driver of a BMW X3 sustained multiple injuries and died at the scene. Russian Telegram channel 112 reported the device was placed beneath the driver’s seat with a yield equivalent to 300 to 400 grams of TNT.
The victim, reported by Russian media to be 62 years old, was still alive when bystanders pulled him from the vehicle but died before paramedics arrived, Astra, a Russian independent outlet, reported.
Colonel Killed in Car Explosion in Balashikha
The victim of a car explosion in Balashikha, near Moscow, was preliminary identified as Colonel Damir Davydov, who held a position within the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) of the Russian Ministry of Defense, ASTRA… pic.twitter.com/BpFTwqTYqq
— Sota News (@sotanews) June 9, 2026
The attack came roughly three months after FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov publicly stated that security for high-ranking military officials would be tightened. This pledge followed the February 2026 shooting of Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of Russia’s military intelligence directorate (GRU), outside his Moscow apartment building. Alexeyev survived.
The Aviatorov district was built to house Russian military personnel and their families, with apartments distributed through Defense Ministry structures, Astra reported.
The bombing occurred less than one kilometer 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 Balashikha on April 25, 2025.
Ukraine has not commented on the explosion. No suspects or motives have been officially named.
