Russian philosopher and publicist Alexandre Dugin, whose daughter was killed by a car bomb over the weekend, has found a friendly reception among Identitarians and other right-wing politicians in Austria. Dugin is seen in the West as the right-wing “ideologue” behind the president’s power politics Vladimir Putin. Born in Moscow in 1962, the former co-president of the “National Bolshevik Party” is simply a fascist in the eyes of many of his critics.
rejection of the liberal West
In the days following the start of Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine, Dugin made repeated appearances on the internet, including in YouTube videos. There he spread his theses, whose core is the rejection of Western liberal values and the defense of a multipolar world order. He defended the Russian invasion of Ukraine largely with arguments similar to those used by Vladimir Putin. Dugin and Putin agree that the “special operation” aims to protect the Russian population in Ukraine and ward off “imperialist influence” in the former Soviet republic.
Last January, Dugin gave an interview to the Austrian right-wing magazine “Zur Zeit”, in which he told the US government under President Joe Biden blamed for the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. On the US-Russia relationship, he said there is a “classic dichotomy between sea power and land power and the idea of incorporating areas of post-Soviet space into its own sphere of influence to weaken Russia’s position and ensure the future growth of Russia’s position as a sovereign pole of a multipolar world.”
The man with the long gray beard and thinning hair continued to speak in the interview with “Zur Zeit”: “Russia is trying to overturn the existing Atlanticist trend. Donald) Trump Russia managed to hold talks on a mutual understanding of regional goals, which is why Putin managed to avoid a direct confrontation with Trump. But with the Biden administration and its mix of liberal hawks and neocons, conflict became inevitable.”
Dugin in Identitarians
The historian and publicist Alexander Markovics, co-founder of the Austria Identity Movement, published an article by Dugins on his website at the start of the Ukraine campaign titled “Long live Novorussia! The great Slavic reconquest begins.” In it, the pro-war supporter said: “Now, with a frightening delay of 7 years, the Kremlin is doing what it should have done a long time ago. Now we are paying the terrible price for the phrase ‘Better late than never.’ But really, it’s better late than never. Better.
In a later post on the Markovics website, Dugin is quoted as saying: “As far as Ukraine is concerned, I am not trying to demonize the Ukrainian state, because that part of the East Slavs we call Little Russia have historically seen as completely incapable of establishing a state. .” And further: “Ukrainians must also do justice to their Ukrainian – to what their grandparents and great-grandparents were and remember the election to Orthodoxy by Kiev Russ (sic!). That’s what unites us.”
On Sunday, Markovics also wrote an obituary for Darja Dugina, whom he met in Vienna, Moscow, Sochi and Chisinau: Dugina’s attitude corresponded to the ideal of an “Indo-European-Turanian warrior”, which unfortunately is very rare, Markovics wrote. “His assassins wanted to intimidate all of us who defend a free Europe and a free Russia in a multipolar world with their cowardly act,” he explained.
Dugin on European rights
While nothing is publicly known about Darja Dugina’s visits to Vienna, things are different with her father. In late May 2014, Dugins attended a secret meeting Marion Marechal-Le Pen from France, Heinz Christian Strache (FPÖ) and other right-wing politicians in the Palais Liechtenstein made headlines. The Swiss Tagesanzeiger reported that the oligarchs Konstantin Malofeyev organized event wanted to revive the spirit of the “Holy Alliance” of the early 19th century.
The right-wing thinker was last in Vienna in January 2018. As the “press” reported at the time, Dugin Heinz-Christian Straches (FPÖ) “did not share liberal political views”, but considered many of the positions of the FPÖ and the then Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), including the “critical attitude towards the Brussels dictatorship”. Dugin was also invited to the FPÖ Akademikerball during his stay in Vienna, but it is questionable whether he actually participated.