UPDATE - Daughter of Putin ally Alexander Dugin killed in car explosion

UPDATES WITH RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE STATEMENT, UKRAINE’S RESPONSE; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Gozde Bayar and Dmitri Chirciu

ANKARA (AA) - The daughter of Russian political scientist and ally of President Vladimir Putin was killed in a car explosion on the outskirts of Moscow late Saturday, authorities and state media said.

The car of Darya Dugina, daughter of Alexander Dugin, exploded on Mozhayskoye highway around 9.45 p.m. local time (1845 GMT).

Initial reports said she died instantly, with reports claiming that her father, described as "Putin's brain," is believed to be the target.

In a statement, Russia’s Investigation Committee said: "The crime was planned in advance and committed on order, according to information received." A criminal investigation has been launched into the incident.

Born in 1992, Dugina, like her father, was engaged in journalism, philosophy, and political science.

Meanwhile, Kyiv dismissed accusations of its involvement in the explosion. “I emphasize that Ukraine, of course, has nothing to do with this, because we are not a criminal state," Ukraine's senior presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told the ICTV channel.