- Earlier this month, the Russian army withdrew from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
- A Russian philosopher known for his influence in the Kremlin said the retreat was only “temporary.”
- “We cannot lose this war,” he said. “Otherwise, the whole world will become a great fire.”
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The ultranationalist philosopher, dubbed “Putin’s brain” for his influence on the Russian leader, said the country’s withdrawal from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was a “temporary situation”.
Alexander Dugin, a neo-Eurasian ideologue known for his influence in the Kremlin, did so in an interview with Turkish media. The comments were later reported by the Russian telegraph service RIA Novosti, which largely advertises anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, Yahoo News reported.
Earlier this month, Russian forces withdrew from around Kyiv after trying to seize the Ukrainian capital. The Russian military has moved out of the region to focus on Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region, Pentagon and NATO officials said.
In an interview, Dugin called Russia’s retreat a “purely tactical move” that would allow the Russian military to regroup and conduct “revisions” under newly appointed General Alexander Dvornikov, a key figure in Russia’s 2015 campaign in Syria.
“The Russian military is currently struggling with sovereign forces imposing a unipolar world,” Dugin said, referring to Ukraine’s allies, including the United States. “We cannot lose this war. Otherwise, the whole world will turn into a great fire.”
Daniel Traisman, a professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles and an expert on Russian politics, said it was “certain” that Russian President Vladimir Putin would direct Russian forces to try to retake Kyiv.
“It is certainly possible – indeed very likely – that Putin would like to strike another blow at the takeover of Kyiv if he thinks at some point in the future that his army has a better chance of succeeding,” Traisman told Insider. “But I would not give too much credence to the comments made for a Turkish newspaper by a ‘philosopher’ nationalist and then taken up by Russian state journalists.”
“If Dugin is the best source RIA Novosti can find to comment on Russia’s military plans, the situation must be extremely murky,” he added.
Despite the relocation of Russian troops to the east, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that Putin may still seek to take over all of Ukraine. Dugin reaffirmed the idea in an interview, saying Russia’s brutal campaign in eastern Ukraine was not in itself a “victory” for the country.
“Our soldiers will not return home until targets across the country are destroyed and security is established, or until Zelensky surrenders,” Dugin told Yahoo News.
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