A close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin is to open a research institute in Berlin, according to Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, which said the centre would be the Kremlin’s main propaganda “factory” in Western Europe.
The centre is to be opened on Friday by Vladimir Yakunin, the German paper said.
The article, penned by Markus Wehner, described Yakunin as a “far-right” politician who has long been propagating an “orthodox state ideology and imperial Russian nationalism,” at the same time predicting the imminent collapse of the West.
Wehner added that the centre, called “Dialogue of Civilizations”, is to become “the principal headquarters of an international network of Russian ideological factories.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported that the centre is expected to employ 20 permanent staff, adding that Yakunin has earmarked 25 million euros to launch the institute.
By Radio Poland
