A Russian philosopher known as 'Putin's brain' said Russia's retreat from Kyiv was only 'temporary'

In this photo taken on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, Alexander Dugin, the neo-Eurasianist ideologue, sits in his TV studio in central Moscow, Russia.

Francesca Ebel/AP

• Earlier this month, the Russian army retreated from Ukraine's capital city Kyiv.
• A Russian philosopher known for his influence in the Kremlin said the retreat was only "temporary."
• "We cannot lose this war," he said. "Otherwise, the whole world will turn into a large fire."

An ultranationalist philosopher dubbed "Putin's brain" for his influence on the Russian leader said the country's retreat from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv was a "temporary situation."

Alexander Dugin, a neo-Eurasianist ideologue known for his influence in the Kremlin, made the remarks in an interview with Turkish media. The comments were later covered by Russian wire service RIA Novosti, which has largely touted anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, Yahoo News reported.

Earlier this month, Russian forces withdrew from around Kyiv after attempting to capture the Ukrainian capital. The Russian army repositioned from the area to focus on the eastern Donbas region in Ukraine, Pentagon and NATO officials said.

In the interview, Dugin referred to the Russian retreat as a "purely tactical move" that would allow the Russian army to regroup and execute "revisions" under the newly appointed Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, a key figure in the 2015 Russian campaign in Syria.

"The Russian army is currently fighting the sovereign powers that impose a unipolar world," Dugin said, referring to countries allied with Ukraine, including the US. "We cannot lose this war. Otherwise, the whole world will turn into a large fire."

Daniel Treisman, a professor of political science at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an expert on Russian politics, said that it is "certainly possible" that Russian President Vladimir Putin would direct Russian forces to once again attempt to take over Kyiv.

"It's certainly possible — indeed very likely — that Putin would like to take another stab at capturing Kyiv if he thinks at some future point that his military has a better chance of succeeding," Treisman told Insider. "But I wouldn't give too much credence to comments made to a Turkish newspaper by a nationalist 'philosopher,' and then picked up by Russian state journalists."

"If Dugin is the best source RIA Novosti can find to comment on Russia's military plans, the situation must be extremely murky," he added.

Despite repositioning Russian troops to the east, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Putin still could seek to capture all of Ukraine. Dugin reinforced that notion in the interview, saying Russia's brutal campaign in eastern Ukraine alone is "not a victory" for the country.

"Our soldiers will not return home until targets across the country have been destroyed and security has been established, or until Zelensky surrenders," Dugin said, per Yahoo News.

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