Russian university students launch petition against new research center named after monarchist philosopher who defended Hitler
Students at the Russian State University for the Humanities (RGGU) in Moscow have launched a petition against the naming of the institution’s Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School, which was created in July 2023. The center’s namesake, 20th-century philosopher Ivan Ilyin, defended the actions of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini and advocated for the return of a tsarist autocracy in Russia.
The students propose a public vote to rename the Higher Political School. The petition, published on Change.org, reads:
In the 20th century, Ivan Ilyin actively condoned the actions of the Germany fascist regime, justifying Hitler’s crimes as a necessary response to Bolshevism and writing about the necessity of Russian fascism. A research center at one of the leading academic institutions of the country that defeated fascism cannot bear the name of a supporter of fascist ideas, bearing in mind the socio-political situations our country is currently in.
The Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School at RGGU was created in July 2023. Earlier this month, Russian media reported that far-right philosopher and ideologue Alexander Dugin, who has served as a consultant to the Kremlin in recent years, was placed in charge of the school.