Moscow, Aug 21 (IANS): The daughter of a close ally to Russia's President Vladimir Putin has reportedly been killed near Moscow, media reports said.

According to state media, Darya Dugina died after her car exploded in flames while she was driving home.

It is thought that her father, the Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin who is known as "Putin's brain," may have been the intended target of the attack, BBC reported.

Dugin is a prominent ultra-nationalist ideologue who is believed to be close to the Russian president.

According to Russian media outlet 112, the pair were due to travel back from an event on Saturday evening in the same car before Dugin made the decision to travel separately from his daughter at the last minute.

Unverified footage posted on Telegram appears to show Dugin watching in shock as emergency services arrive at the scene of the burning wreck of a vehicle, BBC reported.

Law enforcement agencies confirmed to Tass news agency that a female driver died when an SUV exploded in the village of Bolshiye Vyazemy, but provided no further details.

There has been no official comment from Russian authorities so far.

Despite not holding an official position in government, Dugina's father is a close ally of the Russian president and has even been branded "Putin's Rasputin".

The philosopher's daughter, Darya Dugina, was herself a prominent journalist who vocally supported the invasion of Ukraine, BBC reported.

Alexander Dugin was sanctioned by the US in 2015 for his alleged involvement in the Russian annexation of Crimea.

His writings are credited with having a deep influence on Vladimir Putin's worldview and he is considered to be a chief intellectual architect of the ultra-nationalist ideology adhered to by many in the Kremlin, BBC reported.

For years, Mr Dugin has called on Moscow to assert itself more aggressively on the global stage and has supported Russian military action in Ukraine.