Which underground force plotted to assassinate Russian philosopher Dugin?

On August 20, 2022, Daria Dugina, the daughter of Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin, died instantly after the car she was driving exploded on a major road in Russia's Moscow region. Dugin initially intended to take the car, but at the last minute switched to another car and narrowly escaped death. The explosion occurred after the two had just attended a lecture on traditions and history. After the explosion, Dugin was seen holding his head as he witnessed the scene of the crime.

Philosopher Dugin holds his head at the scene of a car explosion driven by his daughter. Photo: Twitter

1- Is the target Daria or Dugin?

Most public opinion and analysts believe that Dugin was the target of the assassination, not his daughter - the unfortunate young woman who drove her father's car after the presentation that day.

A source told 19FortyFive that there are reports suggesting that Daria, an investigative journalist, may have been targeted by individuals or groups.

CNN of the US said that Dugin certainly has no shortage of enemies within Russia. In a 2009 interview, he said: “Every powerful figure in Russia has problems, except Putin.”

It is not ruled out that the perpetrator targeted both Mr. Dugin and his son.

2- Assassination method

Explosives experts believe the magnetic mine was attached to the underside of the car. The mine exploded so powerfully that it shattered windows in nearby houses.

Asia Times believes that the bombing in this case was amateurish and the work of terrorist groups or ordinary criminals, based on sources familiar with the thinking of Russian security agencies. These sources believe that if special forces were to act, it would have to be in a different, more “professional” way.

Russian investigators examine the crime scene of Daria's murder. Photo: Russian Investigative Committee.

3- Source close to the victim's family

Friends of Mr Dugin's family expressed their condolences online, while revealing more information about the explosion.

Marwa Osman, who claims to be a friend of Professor Dugin, wrote on Facebook that “Daria’s innocent blood was shed today by the hands of NATO and the US.”

According to Mr. Dugin himself, he and his daughter have recently received many threats from Ukrainian nationalists through social networks, but they have not paid attention to those threats.

4- Western media perspective

Many Western media outlets are tending to view the car bombing of Daria Dugina - daughter of Russian thinker Alexander Dugin - as an attack on Russian President Putin's "spiritual advisor", implying that this is a blow to Putin's government.

However, Alexander Dugin is no ally of President Putin. Dugin even considers the leader Putin's stance towards the West to be too soft.

Dugin himself was fired from his teaching position at Moscow State University in 2014, a move that required Putin’s approval. Dugin supports Russia’s “special military operation” but opposes Putin’s team of advisers. In a post on Telegram on August 20, Dugin bluntly stated that Putin’s current cabinet would last no more than six months and that Russia would undergo a major transformation.

5- Putin's Russian opponents

They also have no reason to kill a thinker of Mr. Dugin's stature, especially when Mr. Dugin himself often annoys the Russian leader with his extreme nationalist attitudes, as mentioned above.

6- Ukrainian intelligence agency

According to Asia Times, it is unlikely that Ukrainian intelligence forces carried out the bombing as speculated by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman. They assessed the possibility of foreign intelligence agents carrying out such an operation on Russian soil as small due to many difficulties.

Meanwhile, according to the Russian Investigative Committee, the explosion was planned and triggered by Kremlin opponents. Russian officials said they took into account both evidence collected from the explosion as well as intelligence gathered by the authorities.

Most recently, on August 22, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) concluded that Ukrainian intelligence was behind the assassination of Daria Dugina, daughter of political philosopher Alexander Dugin. The person who directly carried out this assassination was a Ukrainian citizen named Natalya Vovk.

Sputnik news agency (Russia) quoted the Russian Security Service (FSB) as saying on August 22: “This case was prepared and carried out by the Ukrainian special services. The perpetrator is Natalya Pavlovna Vovk, a Ukrainian citizen born in 1979, who arrived in Russia on July 23, 2022 with her daughter.”

Russia's security agency has passed the information on to the Russian Investigative Committee.

Earlier, the news site 19fortyfive quoted the top advisor to the President of Ukraine, Mr. Mykhailo Podolyak, speaking on television, affirming that Kiev was not involved in the assassination and did not support terrorism.

“I confirm that Ukraine has nothing to do with this, of course, because we are neither a criminal state nor a terrorist state,” Mr. Podolyak said.

7- International terrorist forces

Islamic terrorist groups have carried out attacks in the Russian capital Moscow, but they are not so extreme as to target a figure like Dugin.

According to Asia Times, Dugin has a positive attitude towards the Islamist movement's opposition to American hegemony. Dugin himself has opposed President Putin's harsh crackdown on Chechen Islamist extremists.

8- Criminal gangs

Russian criminals themselves have no good reason to carry out political assassinations because this carries the risk of being targeted by Russian security agencies.

Thus, Russian criminals could have assassinated Dugin on "orders" from outside, possibly Russian oligarchs overseas./.