With Russia’s growing losses in its war against Ukraine, in addition to Western sanctions threatening the country’s weak economy, state television propagandists have resorted to mythical religious claims. As the claim that the Ukrainian government is a “Nazi regime” is not valid, the Kremlin’s mouthpieces portray Moscow’s invading hordes as modern crusaders and their opponents as demons and Satanists.
During Friday’s “Evening with Vladimir Solovyov,” one of Russia’s most popular political talk shows, Kira Sazonova of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration said: “I thought a lot about the current situation with Ukraine in this regard. , which modern Ukraine represents to the West. It took me a long time to find the right word, but I think I finally found it. This is Golum. Ukraine is Golem. “
This reference to a fictional disgusting creature from The Lord of the Rings is perfectly in line with the latest propaganda strategy in the Russian state media. In an apparent attempt to dehumanize their opponents, experts and state television presenters began describing Ukrainians as “unclean,” the same word reserved for demons, demons and witches in Russian fairy tales.
During Friday’s edition of the Big Game on Channel One, State Duma MP Vyacheslav Nikonov said: “In the modern world, we are the embodiment of the forces of good. It is a metaphysical clash between the forces of good and evil … We are on the side of good against absolute evil, represented by Ukrainian nationalist battalions … and the American Temple of Satan in Salem has expressed its support for Ukraine. This is truly a holy war, a holy war that we are waging and must win. ”
Earlier in April, in Soloviev’s show, political scientist Sergei Mikheev went even further, claiming that “the Ukrainian God is the devil.” He added: “Ukraine is being slaughtered like a pig on a sacrificial pagan altar.” That same week, in a 60-minute state television broadcast, political scientist Alexei Martinov described as “Satanism” the blame for Russia’s massacres in Ukraine.
While Ukrainians are routinely humiliated, portrayed as a wicked nation that does not deserve to exist, Russian state media propagandists and lawmakers are urging Russians to give up their personal needs in favor of the Moscow Crusade. During his Friday show, Soloviev preached to his audience about the importance of choosing morality over prosperity. This approach was appropriate to reduce the frustration caused by Western sanctions in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Economists predict that Russians are likely to face inflation of 20% or more by the end of the year.
Soloviev is a new fan of austerity after recently losing access to his Italian villas for millions of dollars. Speaking to the camera, he asked the audience at home: “What is more important: a prosperous life when everything is simple, or when you go to the unknown? But you believe, and your faith works wonders. ”
Solovyov called on the Russians not to worry about inflation, but instead to focus on the positive: “There is no civil war, no intervention … and the war is not being fought on our territory.” To sweeten the pot, he said how much better Russia is doing than Ukraine: “I did not even mention the victims that Ukraine is hiding, but politely, I am afraid we are talking about more than 50,000 Ukrainians killed. And all this is the fault of a certain criminal, whose name is Zelensky. The alarming figure for the alleged Ukrainian casualties does not come close to official or projected figures, which means it was probably fabricated by Soloviev, perhaps in anticipation of Russia’s escalating atrocities.
As for Russia’s own victims, the official 1351 issue, published in March, is far from the figures estimated by experts. It has not been updated since, but a request by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to increase funding for funeral services and tombstones speaks volumes.
During Soloviev’s show on Friday, the head of the State Duma’s Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, tried to escalate the unrest by presenting Russia’s war against Ukraine as an exciting challenge. He said: “We are entering a very interesting period in the development of modern history. We are all incredibly lucky to be able to witness these great events. “
Kartapolov pompously predicts: “Later historians will study this period to talk about its role, its importance as a turning point that determined the coming world order for many years to come. And we are witnessing this first hand! Moreover, we participate in it! We should only be proud of that. But more importantly, we should – and we should be proud of our president and our military – that we have created this turning point.
Kartapolov made blasphemous comparisons of Putin’s murderous, looting, raping troops in Ukraine with World War II veterans: “Every day we lose veterans of the Great Patriotic War … New veterans and new heroes must replace them, many of whom we have … I fully support the idea of conducting the march of the Immortal Regiment, but I am deeply convinced that next to the photos of veterans of the Great Patriotic War we must carry the photos of our boys who accomplished our goals in Ukraine, everyone! Those who died there, as well as those who continue to serve. They are the real heroes, they are the basis of the future of our country. “
The difficulty of selling ordinary Russians to the idea that the impending suffering was worth it and that Ukraine made it come permeates every state television channel. On Thursday, taking part in the state-funded Channel One show, State Duma Deputy Speaker Peter Tolstoy complained: “The realization that things will never be the same is slow and difficult … This is war for justice. This is a war for freedom … This is the Russian national ideology. “
During the same program, Duma MP Oleg Morozov said that Moscow’s agenda is unlikely to end in Ukraine: “Today’s world is very dangerous for us, but it is also dangerous for Americans, Chinese, Europeans, Poles and above all for the Baltic States. Let them remember that denazification is a long, endless process and will most likely not end with Ukraine.
Morozov admitted: “This new world is extremely inconvenient for us. We do not even know all the difficulties we will encounter in the process of building this world … Everyone will face these difficulties. Someone will lose a job … Someone will lose a business. ” The host Artyom Sheinin asked the writer Zakhar Prilepin what he would like to say to the Russian people. The angry writer distilled his message into childish simplification: “No one loves us and saving ourselves is in our hands.”
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