Russia is ‘playing with fire:’ Fred Fleitz
Former National Security Council chief of staff Fred Fleitz discusses security concerns over a potential nuclear disaster in the war on Ukraine, and he weighs in on China’s continued aggression near Taiwan.
Russian media has accused the United States of orchestrating the "attack" that killed the daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin's close ally.
"Daria Dugina’s death will likely rally the Russians who suspect Ukraine’s hand behind the attack," Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and former DIA intelligence officer, told Fox News Digital.
Dugina, journalist and daughter of Alexander Dugin, died Saturday evening in an explosion while driving her car along the Mozhayskoye Highway in the Moscow region after leaving a music festival. Authorities have said an explosive device planted under the car went off, and officials moved quickly to declare it a "terrorist attack" and point blame at Ukrainians and Americans alike.
Ukrainian politician Denis Pushilin, leader of the separatists Donetsk People’s Republic, blamed the explosion on "terrorists of the Ukrainian regime, trying to kill Alexander Dugin."
But some have gone even further, such as political analyst Yegor Kholmogorov, who told the Russian outlet Pravda that the attack was "no doubt" prepared by U.S. and British intelligence services and carried out by "Ukrainian saboteurs." He claimed that Kyiv itself could not have planned such "daring" sabotage.
Journalist and political expert Daria Dugina, daughter of Russian politologist Alexander Dugin, is pictured in the Tsargrad TV studio in Moscow, Russia, in this undated handout image. (Tsargrad.tv/Handout via Reuters)
Dugin, one of Putin’s closest allies and nicknamed "Putin’s Brain," was also at the music festival and supposedly had intended to be with his daughter after leaving the event but changed his mind at the last minute.
BIDEN DISCUSSES IRAN, UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WITH UK, FRENCH AND GERMAN LEADERS
Some experts speaking to Russian media have described Dugin as holding a central role in Putin’s inner circle — one that allowed him to push an ideology upon which Putin based his entire invasion.
Russian politologist Alexander Dugin addresses the rally "Battle for Donbas" in Moscow on October 18, 2014. (Moscow News Agency/Handout via Reuters)
"Her father, Alexander Dugin, is the mastermind of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine," Koffler explained, calling him a "symbol of the Russian World" for pushing his view of Eurasianism, which is vital to Putin’s entire basis for waging his war in Ukraine.
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS AGREE TO OPEN ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR PLANT TO UN INSPECTORS: REPORT
"One cannot understand Putin’s thinking and why he is waging war on Ukraine without knowing about Dugin and Eurasianism. Putin’s doctrine and strategy are developed around this ideology, at the heart of which is the idea of the Russian exceptionalism," she continued. "Similar to the idea of American exceptionalism, the sense of uniqueness runs very deeply in the Russian psyche. It is because of this ideology, Eurasianism, that Putin will not stop his war on Ukraine."
Investigators work at the site of a suspected car bomb attack that killed Daria Dugina, daughter of ultranationalist Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin, in the Moscow region on Aug. 21, 2022, in this still image taken from video. (Investigative Committee of Russia/Handout via Reuters)
Vladimir Gutenev, a member of the Duma, told Russian outlet RG that Alexander Dugin’s ideas are widespread in Russia, calling Dugina’s death "a strike on the ideological front" and saying that Russia must provide a "quick" response.
Andrey Klishas, head of the Federation Council Committee on State Construction, echoed the sentiment, saying that anyone involved in the "attack" should "be destroyed."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"The fact that a blow was struck against Alexander Dugin suggests that our enemies are most afraid of the spiritual component of our struggle," he told RG. "This struggle is the most important thing."
Antisemitism Exposed
Fox News' Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world."
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.