U.S. intelligence agencies suspect that parts of the Ukrainian government authorized the attack that killed Russian TV commentator Daria Dugina, reports The New York Times.

American officials admonished Ukrainian officials over the assassination, a car bombing in Moscow on Aug. 23, though Ukraine has denied the charge.

It's not clear if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was aware of the attack, but the U.S. is concerned the killing could spur Russian attacks on Ukrainian officials, reports the Times.

There was speculation the bombing was meant to target Dugina's father, Alexander Dugina, as she was driving her father's car home from a festival they attended together when the blast occurred.

Alexander Dugina, a Russian philosopher known as "Putin's brain," on Monday called for revenge against Ukraine and for Russia to push on in its invasion.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine's president, said, "Any murder during wartime in some country or another must carry with it some kind of practical significance."

"It should fulfill some specific purpose, tactical or strategic. Someone like Dugina is not a tactical or a strategic target for Ukraine. We have other targets on the territory of Ukraine," he told the Times.

"I mean collaborationists and representatives of the Russian command, who might have value for members of our special services working in this program, but certainly not Dugina."

The U.S. insists relations with Ukraine remain strong.

Ned Price, the State Department's spokesman, told the Times that Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken told his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on Saturday that the Biden administration "will continue to support Ukraine's efforts to regain control of its territory by strengthening its hand militarily and diplomatically."

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