Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin, who turns 72 on Monday, received one of his first public birthday greetings with the words “God save the Tsar!” from ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin. The message appeared on Dugin’s Telegram channel just minutes after midnight, highlighting the reverence some Russians still hold for Putin, who has dominated Russian leadership for nearly a quarter-century.
Dugin, 62, a long-time proponent of expanding Russian influence by unifying Russian-speaking territories into a vast empire, expressed his admiration for Putin’s leadership. Dugin’s call for expansion notably includes Ukraine, where Russia has been engaged in a brutal war since Putin ordered the 2022 invasion. Dugin’s own daughter was killed in a suspected car bomb attack in 2022, an event that heightened his calls for Russian nationalism.
In March, Putin secured a landslide victory in Russia’s presidential election, reinforcing his grip on power and further solidifying his position as Russia’s longest-serving leader since the days of the tsars, if he completes his new six-year term. The result was widely criticized by the West and Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy labeling the election illegitimate.
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Putin has consistently portrayed the war in Ukraine as part of a broader struggle against a declining West, which he claims has humiliated Russia by expanding into its traditional sphere of influence since the end of the Cold War. Western leaders, however, view the invasion of Ukraine as an unprovoked and imperialistic land grab, pointing to the deaths of thousands of civilians and the widespread destruction that has displaced millions of Ukrainians.
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In his midnight birthday message, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic and a staunch Putin supporter, referred to Putin as the “national leader” and described himself as Putin’s loyal “foot soldier.” He emphasized the importance of the day not just for Putin but for the entire Russian nation, calling it a “significant day for our entire Fatherland.”
