Ukraine has denied any involvement in the murder of Russian commentator and far-right political activist Daria Dugina. An advisor to President Zelensky said Ukraine is not a terrorist state. Dugina’s father, Aleksandr Dugina is speculated to be an advisor for President Putin and the brain behind Putin’s policies towards the west, although the extent of their relationship is unknown.
Dugina died in a car bombing on August 20, on the outskirts of Moscow. She was 29 years old. The FSB, Russia’s federal security service, hastily blamed her death on Ukraine before carrying out any thorough investigation. Both Dugina’s have publicly supported the war in Ukraine and advocate for Russian expansion to its former soviet territories.
An unknown group called the National Republican Army has claimed responsibility for the bombing. In a statement released by a Russian lawmaker, the group’s ambition expands beyond Dugina’s murder. They threatened to kill anyone who is involved with the Kremlin. The Russian government is however questioning the capabilities of such a spontaneous movement. The Kremlin does not believe this group had the tools and proper preparations to carry out a heinous attack at this degree. The sophistication of the attack and the claims made by the National Republican Army is making the investigation much more intricate.
The Russian state media believes that Aleksandr Dugina may have been the target in the attack. Alexander had intended to travel in the vehicle, but they switched cars last minute. The Duginas were traveling to Moscow after attending a nationalist festival, reported by The NY Times
Although a lesser known Dugina, Daria is a notable member of the ultranationalist movement. Amidst the Russia-Ukraine war, she called for a Ukrainian genocide and recently referred to Ukrainians as subhuman, according to political analyst Sergey Sumlenny. Sumlenny also stated, “she called for public killings of Ukrainian prisoners of war.” Critics have called her a Nazi propagandist because of her support of Russian imperialism, and being an active member of the Nazi-influenced far-right nationalist movement.
The war in Ukraine has exacerbated hate for members of the Kremlin and anyone close to Putin. The murder of Daria is hardly shocking as she’s vocal about her hate for Ukrainians.
Aleksandr Dugina is a writer and philosopher who pushes a Eurasianism ideology in which Russia is the dominant power. In an archived voice recording of Dugina, he boastfully said, “I always believe and I believe in the future greatness of Russia, because Russia was always and tried to be a superpower. It’s our dream.”
Dugina is calling for more aggression towards Ukraine and said the attack “had been carried out by the Nazi Ukrainian regime.” He had always insisted on Russian aggression towards its “enemies” and is allegedly pushing Putin to escalate the already brutal war.
Dugina and her father are just disgusting propagandists. I can't say l am happy with her assassination but l would not say that l would shed a tear either.