Interestingly, Russian propagandists hardly paid attention to Latvia’s decision to revoke the broadcasting license of the Russian opposition TV channel “Dozhdj”. The international press talked about it, it was a hot topic for Russian and Ukrainian opponents. Why did the Kremlin “brainwashers” miss the opportunity to find out about Latvia’s “Russophobia”? The answer is very simple: in Russia “Dozhdj” has been declared a foreign agent, he is denied the right to work in his homeland, propagandists have long been making hate speeches against “Dozhdj”. Therefore, at present, they cannot stand up for the TV channel and imagine it as a victim. Hatred of internal “traitors” is greater than the desire to use the opportunity to throw mud at Latvia.
True, in the program “60 Minutes”, once again complaining about European Russophobia, its leader Yevgenii Popov cited our country’s decision to cancel the license of “Dozhdj” as an example. It was quickly added that the TV channel was denied the opportunity to work in Russia because it was Russophobic and advocated the destruction of Russian soldiers and the Russian people in general. Popov also stressed that “Dozhdj” cannot be accused of insufficient Russophobia, as he is said to be full of hatred for Russia and Russians. To describe the situation with “Dozhdj”, Popov recounted an old anecdote that the “Gestapo” expelled an employee from its ranks for excessive cruelty. According to him, this describes the situation with the aforementioned TV channel.
However, Russian propaganda has announced the opening of the season of Milan’s Scala, Europe’s most prestigious opera house, on December 7th. It must be assumed that the designers of the “La Scala” repertoire could not have thought that by choosing the production of Modest Mussorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov” for the opening, they would give the “Kremlins” the opportunity to steal from the Ukrainians. Namely, the fact that a work by a Russian composer was chosen to open the season, in the opinion of propagandists, serves as tangible proof that Russian culture is still loved in Europe and there can be no question of its cancellation .
Some propagandists argued that this is a clear example that Ukraine does not have its own competitive culture, because otherwise, under the current conditions, Europeans would have chosen a work by a Ukrainian composer, not a Russian one, for the opening “La Scala”. However, the culture of the Ukrainians is so bad that they cannot offer Europe anything. It has also been argued that this is further proof that Ukrainians are not a separate nation, but just the so-called “Little Russians”.
The Kremlin ideologues showed with great pride and pleasure how the “political flower” of Europe, headed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, came to listen to “our”, because there is nothing better for Europe of the great Russian culture.
“Merchants of Death” declared a hero
Propaganda broadcasts tirelessly portrayed arms dealer Viktor Bout, who served a prison sentence in the United States, as a national hero. It should be remembered that there was a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States, where the United States “exchanged” Buta with its basketball player Brittney Grainer, who was convicted by Russia of possession of narcotics when powerful painkillers were found banned in Russia on the basketball player because Grainer had serious back problems. Propagandists declared the swap a major victory for Russian diplomacy and scoffed that the Americans were willing to trade a prisoner as serious as Butt for some sort of “basketball junkie.” It is tragicomic that such fighters of the ideological front indirectly pointed to Russia’s inhumanity, saying that their country would not behave like that and would not include any “ordinary person” in such an exchange. Of course, the card was played that, here, the Americans unreasonably preferred Greiner to Paul Whelan, a US spy convicted in Russia of espionage, who is a true hero. Solovyov, the propagandist, joked that Willan didn’t stand a chance because she, unlike Grainer, is not a black woman who happens to be homosexual.
The Russians absolutely glossed over the fact that the Americans were not given the choice of Willan because Moscow’s setup was rigid: Greiner and no one else versus Victor Butt. What the Russians imagine as the weakness of the United States, which had to accept, in chess terms, exchanging some kind of pawn for a king, actually demonstrates that, unlike Russia, the United States cares about freedom and the life of each of its citizens. Indeed, an ordinary Russian, hearing these stories, should not feel proud of how Russia has beaten everyone, but worried and helpless, knowing that the “ordinary people” of his country would not be defended in this way.
Meanwhile, the international press defines Bhutto as a “merchant of death” with blood on his hands, since the weapons he supplies have fueled bloody conflicts in various African countries. The newspaper “Deutsche Welle” reports why it was so important for Russia to bring the arms dealer home. In a conversation with the newspaper, independent analyst Aleksandra Filipenko explains that Bout’s importance for Moscow is determined by the Cold War mentality, reminiscent of the time when the USSR and the United States were engaged in a fierce rivalry. “In the minds of many, both Americans and Russians, Viktor Bout is the wreck and personification of the Soviet system. He doesn’t recognize the new world order. That’s why he is so important to the country,” Filipenko believes. “He is his man, and in the Russian tradition a man who serves the system is not betrayed.”
Putin on the pre-emptive nuclear strike
The search for nuclear weapons is back on the Kremlin agenda. Propagandists drool and laugh at Putin’s claims that Russia should follow the United States and include the right to launch a preemptive nuclear strike in its defense doctrine. In their discussions, the ideologues came up with theoretical scenarios about what should be done if a Ukrainian drone carrying a “dirty bomb” flew into Russian territory. This, of course, should be brought down immediately. Russia, unlike the West, is constantly talking about a possible nuclear collision, in which, of course, it will not be Russia’s fault, but it is determined to fight back. The Russian stories that nuclear weapons will only be used for defense are scary enough, because there is not the slightest evidence that any country intends to attack Russia. The question of why to constantly maintain the tension of the nuclear threat in a situation where there is no real threat to Russia is, of course, rhetorical.
Gerhards Mangot, professor of international relations at the University of Innsbruck, told the newspaper “Deutsche Welle” that the danger that Russia could use nuclear weapons is serious. According to him, the sending of the Russian military nuclear train to the Ukrainian front and the mobilization of the submarine “Belgorod” (K329) could be “nuclear messages”. “The Kremlin is showing Ukraine and Western governments that Russia is capable enough, but may also want to use nuclear weapons. (…) At the moment, this mainly serves as a signal deterrent that Ukraine should not continue the offensive and the West should not continue to support it with weapons,” said the Innsbruck University professor. According to him, Russia could test a tactical nuclear weapon on the Black Sea or in Kamchatka.
Mangot believes Crimea will likely be a “red line” for the Russian president: “I can’t imagine him waiting if Ukraine recaptures Crimea. This would immediately threaten its position and lead to its downfall. The big question is whether Putin , to avoid defeat, may be so cold-blooded and self-obsessed as to go so far as to use nuclear weapons.”
It should be noted that due to nuclear weapons, the Kremlin is sure of its impunity. When there was talk of creating an international tribunal to punish Russia for its crimes, propagandists pointed out that this would only be possible if Russia signed such a treaty, but since it has an atomic bomb, it will never sign anything like that. gender.
Zelensky is compared to Hitler
The biggest pain for the propagandists is the choice of several publications, such as “Politico” and “The Time”, to declare Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Person of the Year. Of course, the 1938 cover of “The Time” with Hitler was immediately shown, where the German leader was declared man of the year. Propagandists Popov and Skabeyeva mockingly declared that the West remains true to its values by nominating bloodthirsty and cruel dictators as People of the Year. Once again, the narrative was repeated that Zelensky, whose “hands are in the blood of the Ukrainian people up to the elbow,” is to blame for the bloody war in Ukraine. Europe and the collective West thereby demonstrate that they support war and bloodshed and that they support the Nazis. At the same time, it did not stop “peaceful” propagandists from calling for the killing of any Ukrainian soldier and any supporter of the Ukrainian army, in any country.
