One of Great Britain's leading experts on Russia says the assassination of Daria Dugina, the daughter of a controversial Russian nationalist, could have been sparked by rivalries within the ultra-nationalist movement or even infighting with Russia's divided elite.
Mark Galeotti, an honorary professor at the University College London School of Slavonic and East European Studies, made his comments on Tuesday in a column posted on The Mail+ platform of the Daily Mail.
"The identity of the true perpetrator[s] is likely to stay as shrouded in mystery as the man they intended to kill," he said. "And I believe Alexander Dugin was the target of the car bomb, despite Russia's claims that his daughter had been stalked for weeks by a 'Ukrainian agent.' "
Her "assassination could well be the result of bitter rivalries within the ultra-nationalist community or infighting amongst Russia's factionalized and insecure elite. Many political killings in the past — initially blamed on the Russian government — have turned out to be the result of dodgy business dealings. Incidentally, car bombs were the hallmark of gangland feuds in Russia in the 1990s.
"Within hours of the car bomb attack on Saturday, reports speculated that this was a so-called 'false flag' — a political or military action carried out with the intention of blaming an opponent — to justify further aggression against Ukraine and even Estonia."
He added: "The official line from Moscow lends support to the false flag claim. It is not beyond the realms of plausibility that, ahead of Ukrainian Independence Day on Wednesday and the six-month anniversary of the war, Putin is preparing the ground for a dramatic escalation in Ukraine."
But Galeotti urged caution, saying it was difficult to understand why Putin would kill her just to "justify more violence and bloodshed than is already being committed on a daily basis" in Ukraine.
"What is clear is that blaming Ukraine may yet backfire on Putin rather than bolster support," he said. "There is a growing sense that the war in Ukraine is not going to plan. Operations in the Donbas are stuttering, with troops increasingly engaged in a brutal war of attrition with as many as 60,000 Russian casualties so far."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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