Kremlin chiefs say Putin is ready to descend into perfection Kim Jong Un

Russian President Vladimir Putin They paid tribute to Tsar Peter the Great on the 350th anniversary of his birth Thursday, claiming that modern Russia is once again on a historic quest to “return and fortify” its lost lands. To erase any doubt about the true motive for his invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Putin told an audience of tech students in Moscow that much of the reoccupation of former Russian lands fell on the shoulders of their generation. They smiled cheerfully throughout the speech, without any hint of reaction to their leader’s imperial ambitions that suddenly reshaped their future.

The speed with which the talk behind Putin’s latest novel has shattered the thin crust of supposed independence on Russian state television, exposing the fact that the Kremlin’s advocates on top-rated shows aren’t there to share their opinions. The same critics who meekly asserted for months that the “special military operation” was not about the occupation of any Ukrainian territory, changed their tune in the blink of an eye. Regardless of the undisguised myth of the legendary Nazis responsible for the Ukrainian government, as well as complaints about “NATO expansion”, state television experts embraced the idea Taking the land of other nations– Just because they want it.

After playing clips of Putin’s recent comments, Vladimir Solovyovhost of the state TV show The evening with Vladimir SolovyovHe jumped his head first: “Putin is talking about immunization and expansion, because the return [territories] It means expansion. What we lost before we get back now. This is a completely different formulation of our goal. Life becomes fun.”

Solovyov’s frequent guest, Andrei Kartapolov, Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Russian State Duma, who previously held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense, eagerly agreed: “Yes, we will restore and strengthen … the world has changed. The period of American colonialism is over and will never return. In this In the new world, Russia will be the power, the moral compass, the teacher of purity, truth and righteousness, to which sane people from all parts of the planet will flock.”

Kartapolov’s speech sounded like it could have come straight from North Korea, and in fact, that’s where some state TV critics see things going. At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prominent state TV analyst Karen Shakhnazarov publicly expressed her concerns about human suffering. urge Putin to end the war quickly. Whether or not he was reprimanded for his open opposition to the Kremlin’s approach, Shahnazarov is for the time being on the train of rebuilding the entire empire.

He criticized Western voices for questioning whether countries that do not have nuclear weapons should be subject to the most powerful countries brandishing nuclear weapons, asserting that this may be true. Shakhnazarov admitted that his view was ironic: “If you are not able to make such weapons for your own defense, if you do not have qualified engineers and scientists or industry, then you should take into account that there are other countries that will determine your way of living. It is just the way it is On it. There are countries like North Korea – a small country – that were able to prove to everyone that they can be sovereign.”

Shakhnazarov described Russia as an empire, the legitimate descendant of the Mongol Golden Horde dynasty: “I believe that Russia is a natural heir to the Mongol-Tatars, who created the first empire on the lands of Eurasia.” Russian opinion makers have adopted the attitude of uncivilized brutality, with guests of the Solovyov program again and again. arguing That the so-called “de-Nazification” of Ukrainians should lead to a public hanging.

Earlier this week, while discussing the fates of British nationals Sean Boehner and Aiden Aslin, and Moroccan national Sooudoun Ibrahim – all arrested in Ukraine – critics of Solovyov’s show descended into a screaming match, arguing Whether they should be shot or hanged. These horrific displays of sadistic cruelty and disregard for international standards occurred on state-controlled television even before prisoners of war were tried and sentenced by Russian proxies playing the role of government in the fictional “Donetsk People’s Republic” in eastern Ukraine.

The idea of ​​growth through territorial expansion was repeatedly repeated by prominent figures, such as the deputy chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Vladimir Shamanov, the former commander-in-chief of the Russian Airborne Forces. In a recent interview, Shamanov agreed that “war is the calling card of the Russian people” and confirmed: “Our nation was built through territorial expansion.”

During his performance, Solovyov performed a clip of the late Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a former member of the State Duma, known for his hateful and hostile statements. In the clip, Zhirinovsky insisted that the Baltic states 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 listened to him.” Forecasts.

Solovyov bitterly complained about the sanctions – and the captured Italian palaces on the shores of Lake Como – and suggested: ‘Since we are going to expand, if we need, for example, auto parts, let us expand to the places where those factories are located. I’m still bothered by Lake Como. Let’s expand in that direction.”

While Putin imagines himself the new Emperor of Russia, with multiple two-headed eagles It said By decorating his imperial palaces, the idea of ​​combining ancient brutality with nuclear threats also might not work for ordinary Russians. The Russian despot had a message for ordinary citizens, Struggle Under the weight of crippling sanctions: “Russia will live better in ten years.” Solovyov predicted: “Most importantly, we now know what awaits us in the coming years: return and immunization [lost lands]. “

Friday, host 60 minutes Olga Scapeva poured out: “Exhilarating! Now we understand the future plans of the Russian state: we will return and fortify [territories]. Some are afraid of this, but that’s definitely not our problem.”