Russia’s anti-Putin ‘National Republican Army’: What is it and does it really exist?

Former Russian state deputy Ilya Ponomarev has claimed that the 'National Republican Army' (NRA) is responsible for the killing of Darya Dugina. But what is it and does it really exist?

What is the National Republican Army?

According to the former member of Russia's Duma, the supposed anti-Putin group, which was unknown before Dugina's death, permitted him to publish their 'manifesto' on his Telegram channel 'Rospartisan'. Ponomarev said, as reported by Newsweek:

We have established contact with NRA fighters via our Rospartisan [Telegram] channel, which covers the rising tide of resistance in Russia. Today the NRA fighters authorized me to read their manifesto.

The underground partisan group claims to be made up of Russian activists, military members, and politicians who are 'now fighters and partisans'. In their apparent statement, the NRA said its members oppose Russia's war in Ukraine and declared:

President Putin a usurper of power and a war criminal who amended the Constitution, unleashed a fratricidal war between the Slavic peoples and sent Russian soldiers to certain and senseless death.

The NRA apparently said their goal is to 'overthrow' and 'destroy Putin'.

In regards to the car bombing,Ponomarev said:

This action, like many other partisan actions of direct action committed on the territory of Russia in recent months, was carried out by the National Republican Army.

Does the National Republican Army actually exist?

Sergej Sumlenny—a German political expert with a particular focus on Russia and Eastern Europe—told Newsweek he doesn't believe that the NRA exists at all, and claimed it could even be a creation of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). He said:

I don't believe it [NRA] exists, why? Russia is a state with very strong surveillance and a lot of informants among all potential groups.

He continued:

This is how Russian terror groups are being created. So to think that some anti-Putin liberal pro-European movement has appeared, which is not infiltrated by the FSB, which has skills to assemble a bomb, to put this bomb into a car and to let it explode remotely. It's impossible.

Read more:

⋙ Darya Dugina: Who was the daughter of Vladimir Putin’s spiritual guide?

⋙ Vladimir Putin ally's daughter Darya Dugina was allegedly not the intended target of car bomb

⋙ Vladimir Putin suspected of being behind the car bomb that killed Darya Dugin