From the Sun [caution, tabloid]:
RUSSIA’S invasion of Ukraine may have been inspired by the writings of a deranged Neo-Nazi mystic known as “Putin’s Rasputin” or “Putin’s Brain.”
Sporting a massive bedraggled beard like his namesake, Russian thinker Aleksandr Dugin long called for an invasion of Ukraine and chillingly believes that Moscow has the right to rule over all of Europe and Asia. Dubbed a philosopher, a mystic, a political analyst and a fascist, Dugin is thought by some to hold a key influence on Putin’s Russia and his views are believed to have – at least in part – been a key influence in the thinking for the invasion.