Dina Khapaeva highlights Russia's brand of conservatism - "Eurasianism" - the "embrace" of a "new Middle Ages". Behind this craze lies Russia's Eurasia Party - a political movement, led by Alexander Dugin, who is a pro-fascist, ultra-nationalist thinker, and whose views are believed to be popular among the hawkish Russian elite. Widely seen as the brains behind Putin's 2014 annexation of Crimea, he calls eastern Ukraine the Novorossiya (New Russia) - a large swathe of southern and eastern Ukraine. Putin sees it as part of imperial Russi, which had helped stir nationalist feelings about the region.

Dugin called for the annexation of Crimea as far back as 2008, during Russia's war with Georgia. He sees Putin's intervention in eastern Ukraine as an act "to save Russia's moral authority", and Putin's approval ratings had surged since then. What is unsettling is that the centrepiece of Dugin's doctrine - militaristic patriotism - goes hand-in-hand with Putin's quest for geopolitical clout outside Russia. Dugin says Putin's mission is to challenge America's global hegemony and weaken the US, with the help of Iran, as well as Eurosceptic parties, which - backed by the Kremlin - have been on the rise in Europe,.

Taking the country back to the past, Putin has been glorifying Ivan the Terrible and Joseph Stalin, erecting statues to commemorate their iron grip on power and whitewashing their atrocities. Dugin had moved to "position Ivan as the best incarnation of an 'authentic' Russian tradition: authoritarian monarchy." Since Putin came to power in 2000, he vowed to restore Russia to its original state. And he seems share "Dugin’s ideal future, a medieval social order would return, the empire would be restored, and the Orthodox church would assume control over culture and education."

A decade ago, Joseph Stalin came third in a nationwide TV vote for the greatest Russian ever to have lived, despite being responsible for the deaths of millions of Russians in labour camps. Perm-36, in Russia's Ural mountains, is the only surviving gulag with buildings dating back to the Stalinist era. Over a year ago, nationalists took over the notorious camp and removed references to the Soviet dictator's crimes. Thanks to Putin, Stalin is now a hero. Putin has praised Stalin for industrialising the Soviet Union and turning it into a military superpower, In 2015, marking the 70th anniversary of the Nazi defeat, Putin also thanked Stalin for being the steely architect of the Soviet victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War.

Dugin is embracing the idea of creating a "Third Empire" under Putin, which should "rule by fear", and the establishment of serfdom that would legalise slavery. His movement -"Eurasianism" - which was still insignificant in the 1990s has been gaining traction in recent years. It inspired Putin to name his pet-project "Eurasian Economc Union, which came to life in 2015, and seeks to rival the European Union. Since Ukraine refused to join, EEU has only five members - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Krygyzstan. Dugin calls for the "coronation" of Putin, This amounts to encouraging Putin to remain president for life.

Although Putin has shown "tacit support for the Eurasian vision of a neo-medieval Russia" that combines elements of Ivan the Terrible and Stalin, it remains to be seen, whether many Russians want to dwell on "the historical memory" of this totalitarian autocracy. According to Dugin, “Stalin created the Soviet Empire,” and, like Ivan the Terrible, expresses “the spirit of the Soviet society and the Soviet people.” The question is whether Putin could fit in, as many Russians want to move forward - with or without Putin.