Russian partisans claim responsibility for assassination of Kremlin propagandist Daria Dugina

A little-know Russian group, the National Republican Army, has claimed responsibility for the murder of Daria Dugina, the daughter ofKremlin propagandist and ideologist Oleksandr Dugin, former Russian deputy of the State Duma Ilya Ponomarev, said on Aug 22.

Ponomarev, who now lives in Ukraine, said that Dugina (aka Platonova) had called for the destruction of Ukrainians, and was a voice calling for violence and murder in the occupied territory. In particular, she gave justifications for the murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the occupied Olenivka prison camp.

“This action (the assassination of Dugina), like many other direct partisan actions carried out on the territory of Russia in recent months, was carried out by the National Republican Army (NRA),” said Ponomarev.

“We have established contact with its fighters with the help of our Rospartizan Telegram channel, which covers the growing wave of resistance in Russia.”

He read out the manifesto of the NRA fighters, which was also published on the Rospartizan Telegram channel.

“We, Russian activists, military servicemen and politicians, are now partisans and fighters of the National Republican Army,” reads the manifesto. “We outlaw warmongers, robbers and oppressors of the peoples of Russia.”

The partisans call Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a usurper of power and a war criminal, but they repeat the thesis of Russian propaganda about “fraternal peoples.”

“We declare President Putin a usurper of power and a war criminal who amended the Constitution, unleashed a fratricidal war between the Slavic peoples and sent Russian soldiers to certain and senseless death,” states the NRA manifesto. “Poverty and coffins for some, palaces for others. This is the essence of his policy.”

The manifesto also contains threats against Putin, the Russian government, and security officials.

“Putin will be deposed and destroyed by us,” state the partisans. “We declare officials of the government of the Russian Federation and regional administrations to be accomplices of the usurper – those who do not resign their powers will be destroyed by us. We announce businessmen who earn their money on corruption and connections with officials, traitors to the Motherland and accomplices of the usurper… We declare employees of power structures as accomplices of the usurper. Those who don’t lay down their arms and take off their shoulder straps will be destroyed by us.”

NRA members call on Russian army soldiers to stop shooting “at our brothers from other countries – Georgia, Syria and others.”

Ponomarev, while reading out the manifesto, also mentioned Ukraine, although this is not in the original text.

The NRA called on all Russians to join their ranks and raise the "white-blue-white flag of the new Russia instead of the tricolor disgraced by Putin's government."

“We will give protection to all who follow our call,” the organization said.

They also said that all who carry out their plan "up to the change of regime" are exempt from liability under the laws of the usurper. In addition, the group promises "after the victory" to immediately release all those illegally convicted by the Putin authorities.

Ponomarev stated that he supported the actions of his "comrades" from the NRA. He said they were not at war with the civilian population and would not carry out actions against civilian objects.

“I call on everyone who is ready to fight Putinism not in words but in deeds to join our ranks,” he said.

In a commentary to Ukrainian web site Ukrainska Pravda, Ponomarev said that he has been in contact with representatives of the organization since April 2022.

On the night of Aug 20, Daria Dugina, the daughter of "Putin ideologist" Alexander Dugin, was killed in a car bombing near Moscow, Russia. Like her father, Dugina was actively engaged in propaganda, justified the Russian war against Ukraine, and advocated the genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Kremlin propagandists blamed Ukraine and the Ukrainian political leadership for the murder of the daughter of Putin's ally, demanding strikes on the "decision-making centers" in Kyiv – including the President's Office and the Central Directorate of the SBU.