(Bloomberg) The European Union is proposing to ban political parties, think tanks and other groups from accepting funding from Russia as part of its next round of sanctions aimed at punishing Moscow over its war on Ukraine. Most Read from BloombergTruce Talks Drag as Hamas Hits Israel Crossing in Deadly AttackAt $2 Million Per Minute, Treasuries Mint Cash Like Never BeforeJudge Threatens Trump With Jail Over Gag Order ViolationsTreasury Rally Risks Running Into a $125 Billion Brick WallBuffet
One of the favorite protagonists in journalistic investigations of deeper sources of Moscow’s recent foreign policies is the flamboyant Russian idealogue Alexander Dugin. Equipped with a long beard, sonorous voice, and extroverted personality, Dugin is a telegenic speaker who easily checks the box of an archetypical Russian philosopher. In contrast to how he is often portrayed, Dugin is neither a philosopher of intellectual novelty nor an ideologue with direct access to the Kremlin.
The death of an opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin is not something new in history. More than 20 critics and opponents of Putin have been murdered or died in suspicious circumstances since 2000. This is the first time when a member of Putin's inner circle was supposedly killed.