Ukraine is bracing for a likely escalation in Russian attacks following last night’s killing of the daughter of Alexander Dugin – Darya Dugina – by what looked to be a car bomb as she as driving his car home from an event. Based on the details that emerged, many believe it was an assassination attempt on the prominent but deeply controversial Russian political commentator and philosopher himself.
Contrary to current exaggerated Western mainstream headlines referring to him as “Putin’s brain” – there’s no clear evidence that Dugin and Putin have ever even met (much less a photograph of the two together or in the same room, which we’ve yet to find), though the influence of Dugin’s thought on certain Russian political circles is clear. He’s long been central to developing the so-called ‘Russian world’ ideology, but his influence on actual Kremlin policy circles has been marginal at best especially since 2014, given he’s been much more hawkish and maximalist when it comes to the Ukraine crisis, at times uncomfortably so for Russia’s political leadership.
On Sunday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in an official statement that it has opened a murder investigation following a car bomb being detonated under Alexander Dugin’s vehicle, which only his daughter Darya was driving at the time (eyewitnesses say he switched cars at the last minute when returning from an event).
