Moscow Car Bomb Kills Russian Ammunition Chief as Ukraine Strikes Deepen Fuel Crisis and EU Unveils New Sanctions

Moscow/Kyiv – A car bomb in the Moscow region killed a Russian general in charge of heavy ammunition supplies for the Russian army on Tuesday, as Ukrainian drone strikes continued to disrupt fuel deliveries across southern Russia and the EU announced a sweeping new sanctions package targeting Moscow's shadow fleet and oil revenues.

The car exploded in Balashikha, a town just outside Moscow, killing its driver instantly. The victim was named in reports as Damir Davydov, head of the Russian defence ministry's missile and artillery wing – a key figure responsible for supplying heavy ammunition to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. A second car bomb was discovered and blown up by authorities in south-west Moscow, according to Russian media reports.

Throughout the war, several audacious assassinations have taken place of senior figures involved in Moscow's war effort, with Ukrainian security services either claiming responsibility or being blamed by Russian authorities. Davydov's killing follows a pattern of targeted operations against high-value military personnel inside Russia.

Who Was Damir Davydov?

Damir Davydov served as the head of the Russian defence ministry's missile and artillery directorate – a position of enormous responsibility in a war that has become defined by artillery duels and missile barrages. His role involved overseeing the supply of heavy ammunition to Russian front-line units, making him a high-value target for Ukrainian intelligence operations.

Ukrainian security services have not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, but Russian authorities have consistently blamed Kyiv for similar targeted killings of military officials, propagandists, and collaborationist figures throughout the war. Previous assassinations have included the killing of Darya Dugina, daughter of ultra-nationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin, and the bombing of a cafe in St Petersburg that killed pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky.

Fuel Crisis Deepens in Southern Russia

Disruptions to fuel supplies have triggered panic-buying in Russia's Krasnodar region, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said, as Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure continued to hit fuel deliveries across several southern regions and Russian-held Crimea.

"Against the backdrop of a difficult situation in neighbouring regions, many people decided to stock up on gasoline, which caused artificial panic buying," Kondratyev said.

On Tuesday, emergency services said they had finally extinguished an oil depot fire in the town of Ust-Labinsk in Krasnodar after a Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday. The fire had burned for three days, consuming significant quantities of fuel and releasing toxic smoke over the surrounding area.

A Ukrainian drone attack also started a fire in a fuel tank in Russia's southern Rostov region early on Wednesday, Governor Yuri Slyusar said. The drone attack took place in the region's Millerovsky district, just across the border from Ukraine. Slyusar said there was no early indication of casualties, but the attack represents another successful strike on Russian energy infrastructure deep behind the front lines.

Gas Pipeline Explosion in Dagestan

In Russia's Dagestan region, explosions shook the town of Kizilyurt as a gas pipeline blew up. Kizilyurt's mayor's office said the fire was believed to have engulfed a gas distribution station, according to Interfax news agency. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, and authorities have not ruled out technical failure or potential sabotage.

EU Unveils 21st Sanctions Package

The European Union has proposed banning Russian soldiers from entering member states as part of further sanctions that also target banks, cryptocurrency firms, and the Kremlin's oil revenues, Jennifer Rankin reports from Brussels.

The European Commission wants to:

• Maintain a price cap on Russian oil at $44 until January 2027
• Add 30 "shadow fleet" oil tankers to its blacklist, in addition to 632 already under restrictions
• Extend sanctions against cryptocurrency firms, banks, and oil traders helping Russia evade western capital markets

The latest sanctions proposals extend for the first time to Russian fish imports, with a potential ban on cod and restrictions on trade in other species. The EU also intends to ban the import of Russian metals, ores, and car parts worth €60 million (£52 million) as part of continuing attempts to restrict economic ties.

EU export restrictions are proposed for metals and alloys used in the aerospace and defence industries, including drone equipment and launch systems – further tightening the technological noose around Russia's military-industrial complex.

The Irish Alumina Controversy

Notably missing from the sanctions list were EU alumina exports, which have come under scrutiny since investigative journalists revealed details of how the raw material is shipped from the Russian-owned Aughinish plant in County Limerick, Ireland, to Siberia where it is smelted into aluminium to supply Russian factories – including, according to investigations, arms manufacturers producing weapons used in Ukraine.

Ukraine's EU Accession Moves Forward

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also confirmed the decision to move ahead with Ukraine's negotiations to join the EU. The bloc is expected to open the first set of negotiating chapters – on the rule of law and democratic standards – in accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova next week.

Ukraine is "making extraordinary progress" on reforms to allow it to join the EU and "it's high time for us also now to deliver," said von der Leyen, offering a powerful political signal to Kyiv as it continues to defend against Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy Meets Nordic and Baltic Leaders

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Nordic and Baltic leaders in Estonia on Tuesday, a visit that comes after Ukrainian drones were inadvertently diverted into their countries by Russian electronic warfare in recent months.

Zelenskyy promised to help with low-cost defences against drones. "We did this in the Middle East, and it worked," he said, referring to Ukraine's experience developing effective counter-drone technologies and tactics.

Bulgaria Shifts Position on Arms Supplies

Bulgaria will no longer provide arms to Ukraine, and Moscow and Kyiv should sit down at the negotiating table to end the war, said Dimitar Stoyanov, the newly appointed Bulgarian defence minister, in reported comments.

The shift comes after pro-Russian former Bulgarian president Rumen Radev was sworn in as prime minister following elections. Bulgaria has been a significant supplier of Soviet-era ammunition to Ukraine, and a halt in supplies would represent a meaningful loss for Kyiv's war effort.

No Trump-Putin Call Planned

There were no plans for a telephone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, adding that American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner continued to maintain contacts with both Russia and Ukraine.

Peskov suggested the EU was not ready to act as a mediator in any Ukraine peace process. "First of all, starting mediation efforts by putting forward certain conditions to Russia is likely illogical and wrong. And, of course, this is unacceptable to us," Peskov said.