Latest news with #Dugin
Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Putin's biggest threat is not from liberals but the nationalist Right
Despite intensive U.S. efforts to broker a ceasefire and staggering battlefield casualties, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues unabated. earlier this week, a Russian drone and missile barrage killed at least 21 civilians in Kyiv, and Russian forces have accelerated their ground offensives in Sumy and Donetsk Oblasts. President Vladimir Putin's unwavering commitment to his maximalist ambitions in Ukraine has polarised Russian society. A March 2025 Levada Centre poll revealed that 59 per cent of Russians support the initiation of peace negotiations, and that figure soared to 76 per cent amongst Russians under the age of 24. Nonetheless, there is a vocal ultranationalist minority that is continuing to stoke the flames of war with Ukraine and perpetual conflict with Nato. Since Ukraine announced support for a thirty-day ceasefire in Jeddah on March 11, Russian ultranationalists have urged Putin to reject peaceful negotiations and escalate the war. Former Kremlin advisor Sergey Markov cautioned Putin against accepting a ceasefire unless it was paired with an arms embargo on Ukraine. In an April 2025 interview with ultranationalist outlet Tsargrad, fascist philosopher Alexander Dugin declared: 'Let's be realistic: we need to bet on our own strength and prepare for a new round of confrontation.' Dugin's target was the European Union and he argued that Europe was already preparing for war with Russia. Despite countervailing pressure from business-minded elites like Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) chief Kirill Dmitriev and oligarch Vladimir Potanin, Putin's actions have aligned closely with the pro-war camp's agenda. Putin's stalling tactics have convinced the US to stop negotiating with Russia for the time being and the Russian military has stretched the frontlines to capitalise on Ukraine's war materiel constraints. The recent destruction of Russian strategic bombers via Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb has only strengthened Putin's intransigence. Why is Putin aligning with Russia's ultranationalist minority, even though doing so leads to tighter sanctions and only marginal offensive gains? Like many of the mysteries surrounding contemporary Russia, the answer can be found in Putin's understanding of Russian history. While Western experts have paid extensive attention to the threat of popular unrest and liberal dissidents like the now-deceased Alexey Navalny to authoritarian stability in Russia, history shows that the biggest threat to Putin's regime comes from the ultranationalist right. Tsar Nicholas II's suppression of the total war rhetoric of conservative philosopher Ivan Ilyin, and ultranationalist firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky's rise from the ashes of the 1993 constitutional crisis, are cautionary tales for Putin. The abortive June 2023 Wagner Group mutiny reaffirmed to Putin the significance of the threat from militant ultranationalists. Through acts of repression like Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's assassination and MH-17 perpetrator Igor Girkin's imprisonment, Putin has mitigated the immediate danger posed by ultranationalists to his regime's stability. He has co-opted the Russian Orthodox Church, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and hawkish regional governors to ensure that an ultranationalist bloc does not consolidate. The militarisation of Russian society means that this is only a temporary fix, and ultranationalists could try to topple Putin if the war ends on unfavourable terms for Russia. As ultranationalists saw Russia's cessation of the 2008 Georgian War that left Mikheil Saakashvili in power and the the 2015 Minsk II Accords with Ukraine as gestures of appeasement of the West, the onus is on Putin to pursue total victory. The challenge for Putin is that he has few available escalation cards. The recommendations that Russia's most hawkish voices have pushed since the Ukraine invasion began in February 2022 are suicidal. If he pursues general mobilisation, he risks widespread socioeconomic unrest and the destruction of the current stealth conscription system that provides Russia with the manpower it needs to prosecute the war. If he gambles with tactical nuclear weapons use, Russia will likely destroy its partnership with China and image in the Global South. This means that Putin needs to appease ultranationalists by doing more of the same: indefinitely stalling a ceasefire and intensifying Russia's war against Ukrainian civilians. As it would take Russia 152 years to occupy all of Ukraine at its current monthly rate of advance, this strategy will not completely satisfy Russian ultranationalists. While Putin wields dictatorial power in modern Russia, his grip is weaker than it appears. This is why Putin needs to appease ultranationalists at the expense of peace in Europe and the lives of hundreds of thousands of his own people.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trump should not fall for Putin's gambit
As Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear programme continues, the Kremlin is flexing its diplomatic muscles. Vladimir Putin offered his mediation service during his call with President Trump, who later emphasised that he 'would be open to it.' Russia has also restated its willingness to take uranium from Iran as part of a nuclear deal. This plan would see Russia take control of highly enriched uranium produced by Iran and use it for energy production. Washington would be making a mistake if it relies on Moscow. President Trump should not fall for Putin's gambit as he is the arsonist who plays fireman. Russia has a long history of falsely portraying itself as an impartial mediator in conflicts ranging from civil wars in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Central African Republic to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and even to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. For Vladimir Putin, stakes are very high in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran. This year, Russia ratified a strategic partnership agreement with Iran. Tehran has also supplied the Kremlin with Shahed drones and Fath-360 close-range ballistic missiles against Ukraine. That relationship goes beyond security. Russian nationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin has stressed the importance of the International North-South Transport Corridor as a critical backbone of Russian-Iranian cooperation to bypass Western-controlled trade routes and reduce dependence on Western economies. Dugin has also envisioned an ideological alliance in which Russia and Iran are 'complementary regimes,' both defending traditionalist, religious and anti-liberal values against the West. At last, although Iran and Russia have divergent interests for Central Asia, they have a mutual enemy: the United States. Russia is neither willing nor able to be an effective mediator for a variety of reasons. Most importantly, Putin wants to pander to President Trump to strengthen his position in negotiations on Ukraine. Moscow is using Tehran to distract from its aggression in Ukraine, offering the prospect that Russia could be a reliable partner to Washington to strengthen US-Russian relations. You almost have to admire Putin's cynicism, who perceives Washington as Russia's enemy. Should the US accept Russian support on Iran, Moscow would use it as leverage to extort greater concessions in ongoing negotiations on Ukraine. And there is a bonus. Putin has openly called the demise of the Soviet Union the greatest political catastrophe of the 20th century, and his greatest ambition is to recast Russia as a global superpower and secure a seat at the table. Russia condemned Israel's attack on Iran as a breach of international law and plans to use the UN to seek legitimacy via Russia's UN Security Council veto. Diplomatic manoeuvring, at the UN and elsewhere, will seek to portray Moscow as a pillar of a 'multipolar world' and picture Russia as a superpower standing up against the United States. Finally, after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's pro-Russian regime in Syria, the Kremlin suffered a strategic challenge in the Middle East. Putin wants to strengthen his position in the Middle East as he fears losing Iran – another crucial partner. On Tuesday, the Kremlin accused Israel of not being interested in seeking a mediation service, but Israel knows well Putin's record of duplicity and does not trust Moscow to act as a peace broker. Russia has neither the power nor desire to be a good faith mediator in the Middle East. Putin has been trying to reset US-Russian relations on his terms, which are detrimental to the interests of the United States. Now, the Trump administration must not be fooled by Russia's diplomatic posturing. Washington should not let the fox into the henhouse and allow Russia to mediate between Israel and Iran.
Saba Yemen
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Dr. Bin Habtoor congratulates professor Dugin on russia Day, centenary of Yemeni-Russian ties
Sana'a –Saba: Dr. Abdulaziz Saleh Bin Habtoor, a member of the Supreme Political Council and founder of BRICS Yemen Day, has sent a congratulatory cable to Professor Alexander Dugin, a contemporary Russian philosopher, on the occasion of Russia Day and the centenary of Yemeni-Russian bilateral relations. In his cable, Dr. Bin Habtoor extended best wishes to the Russian Federation, highlighting Russia's pivotal role in paving the way for state sovereignty, resisting hegemony, achieving international justice, and enabling free markets based on independent national currencies against "cancerous dollar imperialism." He praised Professor Dugin's intellectual contributions as an "exceptional guide" for Russia, the Eurasian Economic Union, BRICS, and free peoples globally in understanding and influencing global reality. Dr. Bin Habtoor noted that human civilization now agrees that the "victory of Gaza and Palestine is the victory of the multipolar human pole" against abhorrent Zionist polarization. He also congratulated Dugin on the translation of his latest book, "The Multipolar World: From Idea to Reality," emphasizing the central role of BRICS countries in a significant human transformation. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (Local)
Russia Today
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukrainians are ‘collective transgenders'
Ukrainians have become 'collective transgenders' in their desire to get closer to the West and cut ties with Moscow, Russian philosopher and political scientist Aleksandr Dugin has said. Dugin, who is known for his advocacy of traditional values and the concept of 'Eurasianism', which seeks to unite Europe and Asia against Western liberalism, made the remarks in an article published by RIA Novosti on Wednesday. He described Ukrainians as 'Russians who have traded their gender, their ethnicity, for an abstract, fictional, absurd alternative,' adding that they are 'collective transgenders.' 'A male transgender does not become a woman. He becomes a freak. So does a Russian who imagines himself to be a Ukrainian.' Read more US sanctions think tank founded by Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin Dugin claimed that while pro-Western globalists have praised the Ukrainians and view their cruelty towards Russians as heroism, this will not last. 'Overnight, they will become what they have always been. Pitiful, unintelligent, without loyalty and love for anyone, losers. Nationalists without a nation. Extremists without ideology. Dogs that attack the statehood of others without having their own. Without a trace of style, culture or rationality.' Though the Ukrainians can cut off their Russian identity, he said, 'an ugly void will remain in its place.' 'We understand this and are fighting against it. We are not fighting against Ukrainians, but for them. So that they remain people, that is, Russian people.' Following the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, the beginning of the hostilities in Donbass, and Crimea's decision in a referendum to join Russia, the new Ukrainian government moved to cut its historical ties with Russia, phasing out the Russian language and culture while trying to erase what remained of its Soviet heritage. This campaign only intensified after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Who is Alexander Dugin? ‘Putin's brain' who just endorsed Donald Trump
Alexander Dugin, sometimes referred to as 'Putin's brain' because of his ideological influence on Russian politics, endorsed the policies of Donald Trump in a CNN interview aired on March 30. Dugin said Trump's America has a lot more in common with Putin's Russia than most people think, adding: 'Trumpists and the followers of Trump will understand much better what Russia is, who Putin is and the motivations of our politics.' Dugin made his name by espousing Russian nationalist and traditionalist – including antisemitic – themes, and publishing extensively on the centrality of Russia in world civilisation. So, this endorsement should be a warning of the disruptive nature of the Trump White House. It implies that Dugin believes Trump's policies support Russian interests. Dugin began his career as an anti-communist activist in the 1980s. This was less because of an ideological antipathy for communism than his rejection of the internationalism that the Communist Party of the Soviet Union espoused. He also criticised the party for breaking from traditional – especially religious – values. Dugin proposes what he calls a 'fourth political theory'. The first three, he claims, are Marxism, fascism and liberalism – all of which he thinks contain elements of error, especially their rejection of tradition and the subordination of culture to scientific thought. Dugin's fourth political theory takes pieces from all three and discards the elements with which Dugin disagrees, especially the dwindling importance of traditional family and culture. The culmination is a melange of ideas that sometimes appear Marxist and sometimes fascist, but which always centre on the criticality of traditional Russian culture. His founding philosophy is traditionalism, which he views as a strength of Russia. Thus, he has become a strong supporter of the country's president, Vladimir Putin, who emphasises traditional Russian values. Dugin and Putin align in their criticism of liberalist anti-religious individualism, which they claim destroys the values and culture on which society is based. Dugin has value for Putin because he advances the president's objectives. Putin's security goals are in part founded on the principle that political unity is strength and political division is weakness. If Russia can maintain political unity by whatever means necessary, it retains its perception of strength. And if a state opposed to Russia is divided internally, it can be portrayed as weak. The Russian government claims complete political unity inside Russia. Its spokespeople reinforce that claim by declaring, for example, the Russian electorate was so unified behind Putin that the 2024 Russian presidential election could have been skipped as an unnecessary expense. They also push a strained claim that the Russian population is unanimously behind the Ukraine war. Dugin energises voters behind Putin, basing his support on the philosophy of Russian greatness and cultural superiority, and the perception of Russian unity. His influence has been felt throughout the Russian government and society. He publishes prolifically, and lectures at universities and government agencies about the harms of western liberalism. He also served as an advisor to Sergey Naryshkin, currently director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of the Russian Federation. Dugin's views support an expansionist Russia, especially in the direction of Ukraine. He questions the existence of Ukraine and promotes Russia's war there wholeheartedly. But his support for the war led to an attempt on his life. On August 20 2022, a bomb exploded in a car owned by Dugin, killing his daughter, Darya, who was driving it back from a festival of Russian traditional art. Divide and conquer Russia applies the same principle of 'unity equals strength' to its adversaries, but in reverse. Many Russian political thinkers try to emphasise political divisions in unfriendly states. They work hard to broaden existing disagreements and support disruptive political parties and groups. Such operations give the Russian government the ability to denigrate the foreign powers that Russia considers adversaries by making them look weak in the eyes of their own people – and more importantly, in the eyes of the Russian population. Dugin lays a philosophical foundation for foreign parties that oppose the European Union and western liberalism, and that disrupt political unity. His views have been adopted by far-right political groups such as the German National Democratic Party, the British National Party, Golden Dawn in Greece, Jobbik in Hungary, and the National Front in France. Dugin's interview in which he endorsed Trump's policies is likely to have been directly authorised by the Kremlin. He pushes a Kremlin-sponsored endorsement of Trump's divisive – and thus weakening – effect on US politics. But Dugin's extreme Russian nationalist rhetoric at times clashes with Putin's attempts to include all peoples of Russia in a strong unified state, rather than only ethnic Russians. As it is a multi-ethnic state, Russian ethnic nationalism can obstruct Putin's attempts at portraying strength through unity. The label 'Putin's brain' is only accurate sometimes. The Russian government uses Dugin when he is useful and separates itself from him when his extremism is inconvenient. Dugin is a tool who says many of the right things and facilitates Kremlin goals. His endorsement of Trump should be seen in its context: Russia attempting to strengthen itself at the expense of the US.
