Unbelievable!

 Alik Bakhshi

Unbelievable!

 

It is well known that President Putin, as a true patriot of Russia, is ready for any sacrifice to raise the country’s prestige not only in sports, as demonstrated at the Sochi Olympics, but also in culture. For example, Putin spared no expense in acquiring rare Antonio Stradivari cellos for the country (the price of just one is 12 million dollars), for which the people adore him and are ready to endure any hardship for the sake of the promised bright future. Considerable funds are also invested in the media, where anyone willing to please the president for a fee is given airtime. Preference, it seems, is given to Russian‑speaking figures abroad who once left Russia and who are now ready—together with those who stayed—to beat their chests, swearing sincere love for Putin, the great Russian people, and its great country.

 

     

This opportunity is gladly provided by the TV program of the Kremlin’s “nightingale,” V. Solovyov, where they, along with Armenian participants, compete in singing praises to Putin and his peaceful, constructive policy toward fraternal Ukraine, where, according to them, Ukrainian fascists carried out a coup with America’s help. Putin, they say, showed great nobility by urgently organizing the escape of his protégé, the “legitimately elected” president of Ukraine, Yanukovych, who in his haste had to leave behind for the enraged crowd his beloved collection of golden toilets.

One must note the considerable talent of host Solovyov, who at times has to restrain the fervor of certain particularly zealous participants in the debates—such as the lawyer by nationality Zhirinovsky and the Armenians Bagdasarov and Kurginyan—who insistently call on Russians to march on Kyiv. Yet when the intensity of hatred subsides a bit, Vladimir Rudolfovich Solovyov reminds viewers of Putin’s words about Russia’s legitimate national interests, which the West—and especially the peoples of the entire post‑Soviet space—must respect.

Somewhat unexpectedly aggressive, against the general background, are the speeches of Yakov Kedmi, an Israeli and former Mossad officer who has become a regular guest on Solovyov’s show. He is simply delighted with every step Putin takes toward the West.

And this very Kedmi predicts that 2017 will mark the end of the European Community, and at the same time of Ukraine, and that after the meeting between Putin and Trump planned for April, America will abandon Ukraine, and the “fascist” government in Kyiv will inevitably collapse with all the ensuing consequences. Thus, according to the non‑Russian participants of Solovyov’s show, the great Russian people can expect a joyful event in 2017—the disappearance of the Ukrainian state. It is astonishing how quickly, with the help of the media, two fraternal peoples were brought to fierce mutual hatred.

It’s unbelievable, but exactly 100 years ago a small group of revolutionaries—among whom there was not a single representative of the Russian people—managed to plunge Russia into the abyss of civil war, when brother turned against brother. Yes, propaganda is a formidable weapon, especially in the age of television’s overwhelming influence on people’s consciousness.

But an even more surprising event on Russian television, to me, was a program by a certain Natanzon,

in which Jewish participants discussed issues of the Russian Orthodox Church. Should we expect interesting developments there as well?

 

   19.02.17