- Earlier this month, the Russian army withdrew from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
- A Russian philosopher known for his influence in the Kremlin said the withdrawal was only “temporary”.
- “We cannot lose this war,” he said. “Otherwise the whole world will become one big fire.”
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An ultranationalist philosopher dubbed “Putin’s brain” for his influence on the Russian leader has said the country’s withdrawal from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is a “temporary situation”.
Alexander Dugin, a neo-Eurasian ideologue known for his influence in the Kremlin, made the statement in an interview with Turkish media. The comments were later covered by Russian news outlet RIA Novosti, which has largely touted anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, Yahoo News reported.
Earlier this month, Russian forces withdrew from the Kyiv area after attempting to seize the Ukrainian capital. The Russian army has repositioned itself out of the area to focus on Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region, Pentagon and NATO officials said.
In the interview, Dugin described the Russian withdrawal as a “purely tactical move” that would allow the Russian army to regroup and conduct “revisions” under newly appointed General Alexander Dvornikov, a key figure in Russia’s 2015 campaign in Syria.
“The Russian army is currently fighting the sovereign powers that are enforcing a unipolar world,” Dugin said, referring to countries allied with Ukraine, including the US. “We cannot lose this war. Otherwise the whole world will become one big fire.”
Daniel Treisman, a professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles and an expert on Russian politics, said it was “certainly possible” that Russian President Vladimir Putin would order Russian forces to try again to take Kyiv.
“It’s certainly possible — even very likely — that Putin might want to make another attempt to capture Kyiv if he thinks his military has a better chance of succeeding at some point,” Treisman told Insider. “But I wouldn’t put too much faith in comments made by a nationalist ‘philosopher’ to a Turkish newspaper and then picked 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 grim,” he added.
Despite the shift of Russian troops east, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Putin could still try to conquer all of Ukraine. Dugin reinforced this notion in the interview, saying Russia’s brutal campaign in eastern Ukraine alone was “not 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 said, per Yahoo News.