Speaking in Kyiv, where he is based, Ilya Ponomarev claimed that Saturday night’s explosion was the work of the National Republican Army, which he claimed was an underground group working in Russia dedicated to toppling the Putin regime. The Guardian has not verified the authenticity of Ponomarev’s claims. Russian commentators have blamed Ukraine for the attack, a claim Kyiv strongly denies. “This action, like many other partisan actions carried out on the territory of Russia in recent months, was carried out by the National Republican Army (NRA),” Ponomarev said. He was speaking on a 19:00 morning show in February, a Russian-language opposition TV channel launched in Kyiv earlier this year. He added: “An important event took place near Moscow last night. This attack opens a new page in Russian resistance to Putinism. New – but not the last.” The blast killed Darya Dugina, the 30-year-old daughter of Russian political commentator and far-right ideologue Alexander Dugin, who had both been sanctioned by the UK and the US for acting to destabilize Ukraine. Ponomarev said rebels inside Russia were poised to carry out further similar attacks against high-profile targets linked to the Kremlin, including officials, oligarchs and members of the Russian security services. The former MP read what purported to be an NRA manifesto: “We declare President Putin a usurper of power and a war criminal who has amended the Constitution, unleashed a fratricidal war between Slavic peoples and sent Russian soldiers to certain and senseless death. “Poverty and coffins for some, palaces for others – the essence of his politics. We believe that disenfranchised people have the right to rebel against tyrants. Putin will be deposed and destroyed by us!” Start your day with the top stories from the US, plus the day’s must-reads from across the Guardian Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Ponomarev confirmed his comments in a text message. A leftist member of the Russian parliament, he was the only member of parliament who voted in 2014 against the annexation of Crimea. A vengeful Kremlin barred him from re-entering the country while on a trip to the US. He became a Ukrainian citizen in 2019. In March, after the invasion of Ukraine, he started February Morning and Rozpartisan, a Telegram channel that provides news updates on anti-war actions in Russian towns and cities. Ponomarev’s feud with Putin is well known. His claim that there is an active indigenous underground movement seeking to assassinate prominent supporters of the war inside Russia would, if true, mark a dramatic escalation. It is likely to anger – if not necessarily convince – the Kremlin. The alleged manifesto stated that the Russian government and regional administrations were “complicit” with Putin. “Those who do not relinquish their power will be destroyed by us,” he said. Other targets include corrupt businessmen, the homes and properties of those who fail to condemn the Kremlin and its war, and “employees of power structures.” Military cargoes and the people who benefit from them will also be eliminated, he said. The statement promised that the NRA would not target civilians. It described Daria Dugina as a legitimate target and “faithful companion” of her father, who supported the genocide in Ukraine. “It was a voice calling for violence and murder” in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, it said. Prominent Russian hawks have called for the Kremlin to respond by targeting government officials in Kyiv. “Decision making centers!! Decision making centers!!!” wrote Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the state-funded RT television station, reposting a call for a bomb attack on the headquarters of Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service.
