Putin’s ‘Brain’ Calls Russian War in Ukraine ‘Fight Against American Hegemony,’ Warns World Will End if Russia Defeated

Russia’s fight in Ukraine is aimed at America and “global liberal elites,” according to Russian ultra-right ideologue Alexander Dugin, who has been called everything from “Putin’s brain” to “Putin’s Rasputin,” as well as “the most dangerous philosopher in the world.” He also warned that a Russian defeat would spell the end of the world.

Prominent Russian philosopher, historian and sociologist Alexander Dugin claimed in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Saturday that Russia faces an existential threat and is thus posed to succeed in the current conflict.

“Russia is destined to win. We have no other choice,” he said. “This is an existential threat to us, so victory is our only choice.”

“After our victory, the world will not be the same as it is today,” he added.

When asked if the fight in Ukraine was ultimately aimed at the U.S., Dugin, whose Foundations of Geopolitics helped reshape the views of Russia’s political and military elite in the late 1990s and gave a new form to old prejudices against the Western nations by means of the “Eurasianist” ideology, replied in the affirmative.

“This is a fight against American hegemony, but not only the hegemony of the Americans,” he said, adding that the current confrontation is also directed against “the global liberal elites who are trying to take over the world.”

In particular, the anti-liberal philosopher claimed Russia is “fighting against the hegemonic totalitarian liberal system, and not against the U.S. as a country, or Europe, or Ukraine as a country.” 

“It is a war against (those) principles,” he added. “It is a war of ideas.”

Dugin also claimed Russia was seeking to provide other nations with their right to “self-determination.”

“We are fighting against the liberal world order, and in order to provide other nations and cultures with the right to self-determination, rather than being puppets of the Americans,” he said.

According to Dugin, had former President Donald Trump remained in power, the current scenario would never have unfolded.

“If Trump were still in power, all of this would not have happened,” he said. “He was realistic and refrained from exerting pressure on us. He did not care too much about Ukraine or the spread of NATO.” 

Asked about President Vladimir Putin’s role, Dugin stated that the Russian president is somewhat “in the position of monarch or an emperor,” noting that Qatar — where al-Jazeera is is based — which has a monarchy, “is doing very well” and “there is nothing wrong with that.” 

“Putin is a natural monarch, not because he wants to be a monarch, but because we want him to be one,” he said. 

“This is a popular monarchy by popular demand,” he added. “We want him to be a monarch and to become the embodiment of the Russian state and spirit.”

Ruling out the possibility of defeat “because that cannot happen,” and if it did then “there will be no Putin, no Russia, and no world, as far as I know, because we have put everything on the line,” the nationalist Russian philosopher warned of the importance of listening to Putin regarding a possible nuclear attack. 

“If NATO intervenes, the retaliation will be in kind,” he said. “Therefore, the decision to continue with the operation to our last breath has been taken, and we have no choice but to win.”

Asked to clarify if he was warning that a Russian loss would result in Russian nuclear strikes, a subsequent nuclear holocaust and the world’s end, Dugin confirmed that that is “exactly” the case.

“These are the words of our president,” he said. “Without Russia, there is no humanity.” 

“If you want to live on this Earth, you should accept Russia as an independent sovereign superpower.”