UK targets pro-Kremlin influence machine with sweeping sanctions on Dugin, Rybar, and Pravfond |
The United Kingdom has launched one of its most expansive sanctions actions in recent years against Russian propaganda and influence networks, designating prominent ideologue Aleksandr Dugin, high-profile military blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk (better known as Rybar), and the Kremlin-linked foundation Pravfond. The move marks a significant escalation in London’s efforts to counter what officials say is a sprawling ecosystem of Russian disinformation, covert financing, and influence operations that stretch across Europe and beyond.
The new measures include full asset freezes and bans on the provision of trust services to the individuals and organizations named. British authorities described the targets as actors who promote or implement policies that “destabilize Ukraine and threaten its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.” In doing so, the sanctions aim not only to block financial flows but also to disrupt the operational structures behind some of Russia’s most sophisticated information warfare campaigns.
At the center of the UK’s latest designations stands Aleksandr Dugin, the ultranationalist philosopher whose ideological writings have heavily influenced far-right political currents in Russia and abroad. Dugin has for years advocated for an expansionist Eurasian empire led by Moscow, a worldview that dovetails seamlessly with the Kremlin’s justification for its invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and its full-scale assault in 2022.
By labeling Dugin an “involved person,” British authorities are signaling that his role as a theorist and promoter of the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions makes him complicit in policies that undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty. For years, Dugin has served as a bridge between Russian state structures and a constellation of far-right activists, think tanks, and media platforms across Europe. His Center for Geopolitical Expertise, one of the entities sanctioned, has acted as a hub for disseminating Russian narratives framed as........