Daria Dugina: Ideas Washed in Blood

Memory, sacrifice, and the battle of ideas

Alexander Dugin said that the death of his daughter, a young woman who had never held a weapon in her hands, shocked everyone—from the president to ordinary people.

Speaking on the Day of Remembrance of Journalists Killed in the Line of Duty (December 15), an annual Russian observance honoring journalists who died in the course of their work, Dugin noted that even three years after Daria Dugina’s murder, people continue to express their condolences. Today would have been her 33rd birthday. He said:

I think that one can even have differing attitudes towards the Special Military Operation, but the death of this young, beautiful, inspired girl, who had never taken up arms, who had never participated in combat operations—this is something that could not fail to affect any decent person, a person with a conscience, with a soul. It affected absolutely everyone, from the president to ordinary people. This was reflected in the fact that the president awarded Dasha¹ the Order of Courage.

Ordinary people, when they encounter me, still express their condolences—three years have passed, and her memory is alive. And the memory of each of our heroes—journalists, our warriors—lives in our hearts. This is an active force. Ideas matter. Ideas washed in blood matter even more. They move the world. That is why a journalist is truly something more than just a journalist—more than simply reporting, more than simply informing. A journalist is a warrior, a person who undertakes a feat, who enters a battle—a battle in the realm of ideas.

(Translated from the Russian)

1. Translator’s note: Dasha is the common Russian diminutive of the given name Daria.