A senior Russian commander in charge of supplying weapons for Putin's army has been blown up in a car bombing in a Moscow suburb. Damir Davydov was a colonel responsible for supplying weapons and ammunition to the Russian army for use in Ukraine. A high-ranking officer was killed as he drove his BMW X3 in Balashikha, Moscow region, 14 miles east of the Kremlin. Multiple Russian Telegram reports named Davydov, 57, despite earlier accounts having suggested the victim was a lieutenant-general aged 62. The victim was dragged from his car 'wheezing and screaming' after the explosion. He died at the scene close to his home in a district where many military personnel live.

Davydov headed the Department of Missile and Artillery Ammunition Supplies of the Russian Defence Ministry and was responsible for supplying weapons and ammunition to the Russian army for the war in Ukraine, according to reports. The Insider - which gave Davydov's rank as a Lt-Gen - citing sources in Kyiv said he was targeted in an operation by Ukraine SBU security service. Davydov, a married father of two, is known to have been a target of Ukrainian special services. His name was listed on the website of the Ukrainian project 'Book of Executioners,' which said: 'He was directly involved in planning and organising the Russian military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.'

He is known to have lived close to the explosion. Reports say an explosive device was fitted to the underside of the vehicle which exploded soon after he started driving at around 5.30am on Tuesday. A witness said: 'There was an explosion, I drove behind another car, and the flames started. 'I stopped and ran out. I got the fire extinguisher, ran to the driver's door, sprayed it, and pulled the driver out. 'He was wheezing and screaming, and we dragged him about 10 metres [33ft] away.' Davydov grew up in the closed city of Penza-19, where his father, Rafail Davydov, worked at a top secret nuclear missile production plant. His wife and son refused to comment to the independent Russian media outlet Agentstvo.

Reports say that several senior figures were simultaneously targeted by bombers evidently acting for Ukraine, but other assassination bids were thwarted. One was Lt-Gen Alexander Maksimtsev, 62, First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). Another was believed to be General Alexander Lapin, 62, formerly commander of Russia's northern grouping of forces. Police were searching for a bearded man carrying a rucksack following the car explosion in Balashikha.