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By Maya Mehrara
News Reporter
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A top ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin has advised him to remove Vladimir Lenin's body from a mausoleum in Moscow in order to seal his legacy as Moscow's leader.
Alexander Dugin, a far-right political philosopher, has advised the president to remove Lenin's body from the burial site in order to "make room there for the real Emperor" and make other changes to the mausoleum, according to the Telegram post by the account Kremlin Snuffbox.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian government for comment via email outside of business hours.
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Why It Matters
Dugin's advice to Putin to remove Lenin's body from the Moscow mausoleum to make room for the president's own suggests that Putin's legacy has not yet been cemented, which could potentially damage their relationship.
As this idea has been discussed for years and no change has been made, there is a possibility Dugin's efforts will be in vain, and Lenin will remain in the mausoleum.
What To Know
The philosopher reportedly told the Kremlin Snuffbox that he approached Putin with the suggestion and said: "I once wrote that faith in Putin is like faith in the Emperor. I believe that our Emperor lacks a number of attributes that would finally make his role in the history of Russia sacred.
"And the future place of his burial, a place of worship for all the successes of modern Great Russia - that is what is sorely lacking now."
This was in reference to a post on Dugin's own Telegram channel in which he wrote: "Faith in Putin is like faith in the Emperor. No, not in God, but not in just a man. It is faith in Russia. The better the people who believe, the better the one they believe in. Sounds like the code of the samurai. If your struggle is true, then its goal is true."
The Russian philosopher also reportedly advised Putin to make improvements to the mausoleum by rebuilding the structure, decorating it with military trophies accumulated during the special military operation (SVO), and preparing it for his eventual burial.
Dugin added that "Putin's Mausoleum can already be worshiped. And when Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] finishes his earthly journey, there will be queues at his coffin. We will bring here the flags of the European states that we will conquer in the coming years and decades. And Western tanks taken from our enemies."
The Kremlin has allegedly confirmed that they received Dugin's proposal to the Kremlin Secrets Telegram account, and did not provide a comment on the matter. The channel said that Russia's government only noted that the president "will outlive many more."
Rumors about Putin, 72, and his health began to circulate after the beginning of the war, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the president has no health problems following a hospital visit for "ordinary medical examinations" in October 2024.
Dugin, 63, is known for his influence on Putin and has been credited as the key architect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He has also been referred to as "Putin's brain" has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the EU, and has been charged by the Security Service of Ukraine in connection with his support of the Kremlin's war.
The philosopher's idea is not new, as Putin has previously refused to remove the founder of the Soviet Union's body from the burial site in the country's capital.
Lenin's century-long residence at the mausoleum has been the subject of longstanding debate in Russia, with many of the founder of the Soviet Union's contemporaries, as well as Moscow's residents today, being supportive of the idea of burying him.
Rumored plans to bury Lenin in 2024 were abandoned, according to the U.K newspaper The Guardian.
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, Anton Gerashchenko, the former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, detailed the Kremlin Snuffbox's report and wrote: "Has Dugin decided to follow in Prigozhin's footsteps? In hints so far?"
This is in reference to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former ally of Putin's who was referred to as "Putin's chef," as he hosted him at his restaurants.
He led the Wagner Group of mercenaries, which organized a rebellion against the Kremlin in June 2023, and he was later killed in a plane crash in August 2023.
When asked previously about removing Lenin's body from the mausoleum during a press conference, France24 reported that Putin said: "In my view we should not touch this, at least while we have very many people who connect their own lives with this... connect this with achievements of the past, of the Soviet years."
What Happens Next
Whether or not Putin removes Lenin's body from the mausoleum may shift the Russian people's perception of their leader and how he wants to cement his legacy.
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