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Western mainstream media have played a major and deeply disturbing role in amplifying the ideas of Russian fascist ideologue Alexander Dugin, both in the West and beyond. 1/10

By falsely portraying Dugin as having considerable – if not definitive – influence on Kremlin thinking, they encouraged far-right as well as non-far-right sympathisers of the Putin regime around the world to regard his fascist ideas as legitimate critiques of Western liberal democracy. 2/10

In reality, Dugin’s role in the political sphere surrounding the Kremlin is largely instrumental rather than ideological. 4/10

For instance, he often functions as a scarecrow for the Russian public when the Presidential Administration seeks to normalise the Kremlin’s most extreme policies. 5/10

By presenting Putin’s decisions alongside Dugin’s more radical ideas, the former appear comparatively moderate – and therefore more acceptable – to the population. 6/10