Abstract

Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, ideologue Aleksander Dugin has witnessed a resurgence in popularity. Leveraging his status, Dugin has increased his transnational network in the West comprised of multiple radical actors and organizations ranging from the European New Right to so-called MAGA Communists. Building off the literature on strategic narratives and transnational activism, Dugin is framed as a transnational narrative broker and legitimizer serving as an intermediary between the Kremlin and sympathetic groups abroad while legitimizing these organizations through his interaction with them. Furthermore, the article demonstrates that Dugin’s appeal today is rooted more in his geopolitical doctrine than his esoteric philosophy, positioning him as a symbolic figurehead in the ideological struggle against liberalism for both far right and illiberal leftist groups. Thanks to his status in Russia and his revitalized audience, Dugin has successfully presented himself in Western pro-Russian circles as a quasi-spokesperson for the Kremlin, a source of legitimacy for smaller political groups, while simultaneously sustaining much of his pre-war audience.