The speed with which the heads talking behind Putin’s last narrative broke the thin layer of supposed independence on Russian state television, revealing the fact that Kremlin propagandists on top shows are not there to share their views. The same experts who gently argued for months that the “special military operation” had never been about occupying any of Ukrainian territory changed their tune in the blink of an eye. Putting aside the unconvincing myth of the Nazi myths responsible for the Ukrainian government, as well as allegations of “NATO enlargement”, state television experts have embraced the idea of shamelessly taking another nation’s land – simply because they want it. After playing excerpts from Putin’s latest comments, Vladimir Solovyov, the presenter of the state television program The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, jumped first: “Putin talks about fortification and enlargement, why he is returning [territories] means enlargement. What we lost before we must now return. This is a completely different formulation of our goal. “Life becomes interesting.” Solovyov’s frequent guest, Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Russian Duma’s Defense Committee, who previously served as deputy defense minister, eagerly agreed: “Yes, we will restore and fortify… The world has changed. The period of American colonialism has come to an end and will never return. “In this new world, Russia will be the force, the moral compass, the milestone of purity, truth and correctness, to which rational people from all over the world will flock.” Kartapolov’s speech sounded like it had come straight from North Korea, and indeed, that is where some state television experts see things going. At the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prominent state television expert Karen Sakhnazarov expressed concern about human suffering and publicly urged Putin to end the war quickly. Whether he was reprimanded or not for publicly opposing the Kremlin’s approach, Shakhnazarov is now fully on board the train that rebuilt the empire. He criticized Western voices questioning whether non-nuclear-weapon states should submit to the most powerful nuclear-armed nations, arguing that was right. Admitting that his view is cynical, Shakhnazarov argued: “If you are not able to create such weapons to defend yourself, if you do not have skilled engineers and scientists or industry, then you have to take into account that there are other countries that will determine your lifestyle. It just is so. “There are nations like North Korea — a small country — that have been able to prove to everyone that they can be sovereign.” Shakhnazarov described Russia as an empire, the legitimate descendant of the Golden Horde Mongol dynasty: “I believe that Russia is the natural heir of the Tatar-Mongols, who created the first empire in Eurasia.” The attitude of uncivilized barbarism has been adopted by Russian public opinion makers, with guests on Solovyov’s show repeatedly claiming that the so-called “denazification” of Ukrainians should lead to public hangings. Earlier this week, while discussing the fate of British citizens Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, and Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim – all of whom were arrested in Ukraine – experts on Solovyov’s show fell into a screaming fight, arguing whether to shoot or shoot. hang. These creepy demonstrations of sadistic cruelty and contempt for international rules on state-controlled television took place even before the prisoners were tried and convicted by Russian proxies posing as government in the fictitious “Donetsk People’s Republic.” The idea of development through territorial expansion has been repeatedly echoed by prominent figures, such as Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Vladimir Samanov, former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Airborne Troops. In a recent interview, Shamanov agreed with the statement that “war is the card of the Russian people” and argued: “Our nation was built through territorial enlargement.” During his broadcast, Solovyov presented a clip of the late Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a former member of the State Duma notorious for his hateful, belligerent statements. In the clip, Zirinovsky insisted that the Baltic and Ukraine would be occupied and controlled by Russia. The host referred to the politician as a “political prophet” and noted that “everyone should have heard” his predictions. Complaining bitterly about the sanctions – and the confiscation of his Italian mansions on the shores of Lake Como – Solovyov suggested: I’m also disappointed with Lake Como. “Let’s expand in that direction.” While Putin imagines himself as the new emperor of Russia, with many double-headed eagles adorning his imperial palaces, the idea of combining ancient savagery with nuclear threats may not be so good for the average Russian. The Russian authoritarian had a message for everyday citizens, struggling under the weight of amputation sanctions: “Russia will live better in 10 years.” Solovyov assumed: “The most important thing, now we know what awaits us in the coming years: return and fortification [lost lands]. » On Friday, 60 Minutes presenter Olga Skabieva erupted: “Enjoy! Now we understand the future plans of the Russian state: we will return and fortify [territories]. “Some people are afraid of that, but it’s definitely not our problem.”
