On the evening of 20 August 2022 Darya Dugina, daughter of Alexander Dugin, was assassinated in a terrorist car bombing just outside Moscow. The assassination carries several implications regarding the Russian Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine and for Western society as well. Her name, along with her father’s (and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd) had been placed on the ‘kill list’ of a notorious Ukrainian website. We look at the astrology of the event here and what it will mean for all parties in the conflict going forward.
Most readers in the West will not even know who Darya Dugina was. They will instead know of her father, Alexander Dugin, who the Western media has labelled as “Putin’s brain”. The latter is laughable and shows the general ignorance of the West regarding Russia, Russian politics and society. Dugin was a minor figure inside Russia and no one really paid much attention to him. He is much better known – and hated – in the West than in Russia. But to understand Darya and why she was killed, we need first to gain some understanding of just who her father is. From an article in the Vzglyad newspaper following her murder, we have the following (translated from Russian):
The British [tabloid] The Sun calls Dugin a “neo-Nazi mystic”, “an ultra-right racist philosopher”, and The Telegraph [a British establishment mouthpiece] – “Putin’s Rasputin”.
“Dugin is a far-right Russian nationalist who helped shape the ideological basis for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” agrees The Washington Post. “Dugin was the main architect of Putin’s concept of the “Russian world,” the American edition of The Daily Beast is sure.
Meanwhile, Alexander Dugin is neither a Nazi nor a racist, much less “Putin’s brain”. “Dugin was more popular and in demand in the West than in Russia. He is a polyglot who is fluent in 20 languages, which means that upon arrival in any country he could well give interviews to local media in their language. His popularity became one of the reasons why Dugin was considered and positioned in Europe as an adviser to the Kremlin, although in fact Alexander Dugin has not been associated with the Kremlin for a very long time. At the same time, the philosopher himself supported this reputation, since it made him even more in demand in the West…”
Bolding added. We see the general ignorance and/or propaganda of the Western press in the italicized piece preceding. As for who he is, then, Alexander Dugin is a “is a Russian political philosopher, analyst, and strategist…” from his Wikipedia page, all true enough, but which goes on to say, “…known for his fascist views.” The latter was cherry-picked from statements Dugin made when he was quite young, in the ‘80s, as his political views were evolving. Wikipedia, too, is a known Atlanticist outfit. Never mind that the Western powers have been arming, training and supporting fascist and neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine for at least 8 years. That has been shoved under the collective media carpet. There is a video that goes into depth on Dugin and the assassination, well worth the time to watch, which covers most of the points to be made here.
Continuing, perhaps Dugin was an advisor to Washington and London instead of the Kremlin, given his ‘fascist views’. Sarcasm aside, what Dugin is not is a Kremlin insider, nor does he ‘have Putin’s ear’. Even more to the point, he had no say in giving the ‘ideological basis’ for Russia’s ‘invasion of Ukraine’, as the Western media likes to call the Russian SMO. And never mind as well it is the armed forces of the two Donbas republics who are doing most of the fighting against Ukraine. The conflict is still very much a civil war. Russian forces are playing largely a support role in the present phase of the conflict. That may change soon. The ‘philosophy’ for the SMO was protecting Russian and Russian-speaking citizens against a planned invasion of the Donbas by Ukrainian forces, which has been covered in previous posts here.
A little-known fact about Dugin is that he travelled many times to Iran, as a ‘field practitioner’ of his philosophy. He played a significant role in the rapprochement between Iran and Russia by promoting understanding between the two peoples. The relationship between the two nations had been very strained until after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which the Shia majority of Iran saw as a ‘Godless country’. Dugin helped to bridge the gulf in understanding, having met with many Shia leaders during his visits to Iran.
As for Darya herself, Darya Aleksandrovna Dugina (the ‘a’ is added to the family name ‘Dugin’ according to Eastern Slavic naming customs) was born on 15 Dec 1992 in Moscow (no time of day given). We won’t go into her chart here, seeing that we do not have a time of day, except to say she was experiencing her Saturn return, the 1st of which represents coming of age. Darya graduated from Moscow State University with a degree in philosophy. She was a philosopher herself and a journalist, speaking out in favor of the Russian SMO. She shared her father’s philosophy and was an active war correspondent, reporting on the Donbas/Russian side of the conflict. It is a big reason why she was targeted for assassination. Probably both she and her father were to be killed together.
Darya was awarded the Order of Courage medal posthumously by Putin. Further information about her is gleaned from Yalensis at Awful Avalanche:
“She was her father’s ideological heir. Darya graduated from the Philosophical Faculty of Moscow State University, and wrote op-eds (under the nom de plume Darya Platonova) for various pro-Russian journals, including RT and Tsargrad. She was also starting to appear on television, and was making a name for herself. She had just earned her PhD.
Darya was a strong supporter of the Russian Special Operation in Ukraine (this is probably the actual thing that got her killed). She co-authored a book called “Z Books”, an anthology of war stories from the Ukraine conflict, which was set to be published in a couple of months. In June she took a trip to the front lines, to Donetsk and Mariupol. Among other places, she visited the AzovSteel plant and posted photographs online. These actions got her onto the American and British list of sanctioned persons. Darya showed her contempt for the Western sanctions by posting a video of herself dancing at the news; as if to say, “Screw you!”
At the start of this post mention was made of a ‘kill list’. This is on the Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) site, allegedly backed by the Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU). Other luminaries on that list are Rand Paul (US senator), John Mearsheimer, Eva Bartlett and many world leaders. There is also a ‘brown list’ of people who Ukrainians are invited to inform upon. The operations are reminiscent of the infamous East German Stasi. Darya’s work and actions, along with her father, got her named on that list. “Myrotvorets stands for a Center for Research of Signs of Crimes against the National Security of Ukraine. It works side by side with NATO collecting info on “pro-Russian terrorists and separatists”. That brings us to her assassination.
The events were as follows, from the same link:
“A Land Cruiser Prado SUV, owned by Dugin and with Darya at the wheel, exploded in a highway near the village of Bolchie Vyazemy, a little over 20km away from Moscow. They were both coming from a family festival, where Dugin had delivered a talk. At the last minute, Darya took the SUV and Dugin followed her in another car. According to eyewitnesses, there was an explosion under the SUV, which was immediately engulfed in flames and hit a roadside building. Darya’s body was burned beyond recognition. The Russian Investigative Committee soon established that the IED – approximately 400g of TNT, unencapsulated – was planted under the bottom of the SUV, on the driver’s side. The investigators consider that was a premeditated car bombing.”
The chart for the event is below (bigger):
Western news sources and Wikipedia list the time of the event as being ‘around 9:45 pm’, Moscow time. That time does not describe the event. Google searches yielded nothing better. Further searches on Yandex, a Russian search engine, yielded a close result, based in eyewitness accounts. That source is shown on the chart, and yields a time of 9:35 pm – ‘around 9:30’, actually. That time gives us the details of the assassination.
There are several standouts. Firstly, the Sun and Mars are squared, with the Meridian axis at the midpoint, MC=San/Mars: “The tendency to do one’s work for the love of it, the tendency to accept responsibility gladly, the demonstration of a masculine character, the attainment of success in life, the character of a fighter.”
In addition, there is a hidden midpoint to the Sun, Sun=Mars/Saturn: “The illness or the death of members of the male population.” Sun/Mars combinations often indicate violence and hastiness. They also indicate soldiers and military matters. Dugin was supposed to have left the family festival with Darya in the same car, but took another car at the last minute, leaving Darya to drive his. The reason why is not apparent, but is reflective of doing things hastily or at a moment’s notice. The perpetrator of the assassination was allegedly Ukrainian military, a member of the Azov Battalion, one Natalya Vovk. We’ll come back to that bit.
The Ascendant in an event chart shows the purpose of the event, whereas the Meridian axis shows the public impact. The midpoint and aspects to the Ascendant show the midpoint Asc=Sun/Pluto: “Experiencing the ruthlessness of others, the crisis of self-preservation.” Since the death axis (Mars/Saturn) was involved, there was to be no self-preservation. Venus was also involved, in the 5th house, showing a child’s or woman’s involvement, Ven=Sun/Plu: “Emotional upsets, a tragic love.” Venus was also conjunct Ceres, with both of then square the Ascendant, with part of Ceres’ mythology indicating ‘lamentations raised at the crossroads’.
Dugin was immediately behind Darya on the road when the explosion occurred. In a video at the scene (smartphones are ubiquitous these days) he can be seen in horror with his head in his hands as he watched the vehicle in flames. He was hospitalized in shock thereafter.
Putin sent his condolences a day later to Dugin and Darya’s mother:
“Dear Alexander Gelyevich and Natalya Viktorovna, please accept sincere condolences and words of support in connection with the most difficult, irreparable loss that has befallen you.
A vile, cruel crime cut short the life of Darya Dugina – a bright, talented person with a real Russian heart – kind, loving, sympathetic and open.
A journalist, scientist, philosopher, war correspondent, she honestly served the people, the Fatherland, she proved by deed what it means to be a patriot of Russia. The memory of Darya Dugina will forever be preserved by relatives and friends, her like-minded people and associates. Strength and courage to you in this mournful hour.”
On the Russian side the assassination was immediately blamed on the Ukrainian government, which the latter strenuously denies. The assassination also showed a failure on the part of the FSB, who knew who Vovk was and had been following her whereabouts. But if Vovk was indeed the perpetrator (the investigation is ongoing), her actions would have had to have been approved at some level of the Ukrainian government, if not by Zelenskyy himself. And since the FSB has determined it is her, regardless, her lifespan probably just became shortened considerably. She may also be playing ping pong with Yulia Skripal, or worse, as was stated in a previously linked video. In other words, it is quite likely Vovk will be ‘disappeared’.
Ukrainian and Estonian sources are instead claiming the assassination is a Russian false flag, trying to spin the narrative that Putin is worried, that ‘the walls are closing in’ because the Russians are supposedly losing in Ukraine with high numbers of casualties, etc., etc., none of which is true. Quite the opposite is true, actually. Podolyak, advisor to Zelenskyy, says the Russian FSB had started an ‘intra-species fight’, if one wants to get really insulting. Ukrainian nationalists see Russians and Russian speakers as less than human.
Still another source, a so-called exiled ex-Russian politician claims the assassination was carried out by a Russian resistance group keen to end the war and install a ‘government of social justice’. Much is being made of the fact the FSB said they had solved the case in as little as two days. Maybe they did, or maybe not. And it is still possible Vovk did not carry out the attack herself, but instead was there as a ‘spotter’ for a sleeper in Russia. We don’t know. Fingers are pointing everywhere at this juncture. But with Putin’s approval at 80%+ nowadays it is doubtful he ordered a false flag. More likely is this was a terrorist attack, aimed at shocking the Russian public and causing instability. Chances are it will have the opposite effect.
Terrorist attacks tend instead to rally a populace behind a cause or their government, which the Russian government hardly needs to do at the moment. Instead, terrorist acts are generally perpetrated by weaker parties. In times of warfare they are generally carried out by the losing side. If this was in fact carried out by Ukrainians it signals that the situation for Ukraine is becoming more desperate. The timeline here is interesting, as well as what has been taking place in the days preceding Daria’s murder. The transits to Ukraine’s chart at the time of the assassination reveal a telling story. The chart is below (bigger):
This period in the SMO was alluded to in a previous post here in May. What we see with the assassination is a sort of ‘crossing the Rubicon’ moment. This is shown by the combination of transits of Mars square Ukraine’s Sun, transiting Pluto quincunx the natal Mercury/Jupiter conjunction and transiting Saturn at the Moon/MC midpoint, the latter described as follows: “Emotional inhibitions or inhibition of soul-expression, a person who is slightly bad-tempered, pessimism, an interruption of the soul-contact with those dear to one, separation, mourning or bereavement.” The Mars transit shows the impulsive and militant nature of the event.
The Pluto transit shows a shift in the narrative (propaganda) stream, along with the misapprehension of the importance of Dugin and Darya, instead trying to spin her assassination as some kind of victory (the perception of which Ukraine badly desires at the moment), as in the perception that somehow the main architect of the Russian SMO had been taken out. It may turn out to be a very painful self-deception by the regime in Kiev. There was also a transit of Mercury on Ukraine’s Mars, further showing attempts at shifting or strengthening the narrative.
Along with the preceding, the Ukrainians have stepped up attempted drone strikes on Crimea, the great majority of which are shot down by Russian air defenses. Those attacks are also an attempt by NATO forces to test Russian air defenses, trying to find a weakness. The Ukrainians are also shelling the area around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, causing great concerns about a nuclear disaster. Actually it is more a matter of brinkmanship on both sides.
There is little danger of a nuclear disaster, but it makes for exciting press. The thing is, the Russians occupy the site of the plant and surrounding areas. Why would they be shelling it? More to the point, the Russians had started connecting the power lines to Crimea from that plant and disconnecting the Ukrainian side, which goes more toward explaining why the Ukrainians would be shelling the plant, as in revenge. Those attempts are largely being intercepted, too.
And now we hear of Americans telling their citizens to flee Ukraine if at all possible. There are rumors of concentrations of Russian fighter jets massing at the border of Ukraine, Russian air defenses massed at the border of Belarus, and a general sense that something big is about to happen – all scuttlebutt at the moment.
One thing we know for sure is that as of this writing it is the national day of Ukraine (24th Aug 1991) and there is quite a lot of hyperbole that the Russians will do something big in vengeance for Darya’s assassination. It is not the Russian way of doing things. A special meeting of the state Duma has been called for this week. If Ukraine is pronounced to be a state sponsor of terrorism, then the gloves will come off. And it would appear already that Russia has started another more aggressive phase of the SMO, with Telegram channels reporting strong missile strikes taking place now in Kharkov, Nikolaev, Krivoy Rog, Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk.
More likely than not the assassination of Darya will harden feelings in Russia toward Ukraine and further convince the Russian people of the correctness of the prosecution of the Russian SMO in Ukraine. It will not change the prosecution of the SMO in the slightest. If anything, people who know Russia say Darya’s murder will send the message to Russian society that her murder was an act of desperation, that Ukraine is on the ropes and losing. It is only a matter of time until a Russian victory is assured.
Instead of assassinating a high-profile strategist and his daughter, both civilians, the Ukrainian SBU and their handlers – CIA, MI6 – have made Darya into a martyr in Russia. It was a grave error. Justice may not come quickly, but it comes inexorably. RIP Darya.
Featured pic from Aljazeera