(MOSCOW, RUSSIA) – A key ideological architect of the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine has conceded that Russia fundamentally miscalculated its strength before launching the full scale invasion, while simultaneously outlining a chilling dystopian vision where perpetual conflict becomes the permanent foundation of Russian statehood.
In a revealing interview with journalist Ksenia Sobchak, ultranationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin admitted, “We may have overestimated our strength, but that is obvious in this war.” He argued that the country must now soberly assess its position and gather the necessary resources to restructure both the state and society for the pursuit of its military goals.
Dugin, a prominent promoter of the “Russian world” concept, offered a blueprint for a future Russia characterised by a mass exodus from cities, restricted internet access, and a society permanently mobilised for war. He described modern Moscow apartment blocks as “neo-ancient ruins” fit only for tourist excursions, advocating instead for a ruralised population living exclusively on the land.
The philosopher framed the war not as a temporary hardship but as a permanent existential condition. “War is no longer a choice, it is an objective reality. One could say it is now forever. War is not a temporary state; it is a way of life,” Dugin stated. He elaborated that a nation state is defined by its readiness to both defend itself and, under certain circumstances, “attack another,” adding bluntly, “No war, no sovereignty, but no war and no peace. Peace is the other side of war.”
Dugin’s comments included a stark acknowledgement of a fractured home front. “There is an impression that we do not fully understand the situation we are in,” he said. “At least, I have the feeling that one part of society is fighting and the other part of society is not fighting.”
When pressed on why citizens should enlist in his proposed transformation, Dugin pointed to a lack of ideological clarity from the state. He noted that some young Russians were converting to Islam because they found discipline and a model of values there, implying the Orthodox state had failed to provide a competing sense of purpose.
The interview also laid bare Dugin’s admiration for the totalitarian regime in North Korea, which he described as “a bastion of humanism, democracy and civilisation in the face of American occupation.” When challenged that the isolated state is a repressive dystopia where citizens fear eye contact with foreigners to avoid labour camps, Dugin argued that from a standpoint of morality, order and equality, North Korean society “wins out” over a modern Western civilisation plagued by figures such as Jeffrey Epstein.
Dugin’s vision for a “beautiful Russia of the future” includes a seasonal and punitive model for internet access. He proposed disconnecting the mobile internet in spring and reactivating it in late autumn, synchronising connectivity with the biological cycles of bears and butterflies. He further suggested that access should be “rationed out for good behaviour” and that “the most terrible ghettos will be created for surfers,” whom he described as a most repulsive anti Eurasian phenomenon with their “white toothed smiles on disgusting boards.”
The long time Kremlin ideologue also devoted part of the discussion to a bizarre denunciation of the Soviet cartoon character Cheburashka, a large eared creature, which he labelled “a concentrated expression of the feeble mindedness I have fought my whole life.” He accused the fictional character of being an individualist liberal responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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