Putin opened the Kremlin’s doors to the fired former Fox News host, right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson as microphone-holder for a two hour trip, some call it “interview”, basically regurgitating Putin’ thinly veiled imperial dream.
The attention around this propagandistic spectacle illustrate the Kremlin’s attempt to craft a the psychological operation to erode popular support for Ukraine in Western societies.
Any news from the Carlson/Putin show? In fact, nothing new. Most of the world know that Putin is obsessed by a desire to control Ukraine and restore imperial Russian glory. Putin launched himself into a 30-minute history-according-to-Putin lecture and then cruised around unchallenged by Carlson.
We cut through all the double speak and bring a deciphered resume of what Putin really means.
| He said | What he really means |
| “Originally, the word ‘Ukrainian’ meant that a person was living on the outskirts of the state” | I reject the very notion that Ukraine would have the right of national self-determination |
| “Russia reclaimed all of its historical lands, including in the south and west.” | We expanded our colonial empire though ruthless conquest and oppression |
| “Hitler offered Poland peace and a treaty of friendship and alliance” | I have no shame to whitewash the most horrendous dictator in human history |
| “Before World War II, Poland collaborated with Hitler” | You’re a Nazi if I say you’re a Nazi |
| “Poland went too far, pushing Hitler to start World War II by attacking them” | I grossly twist the real intent of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact to divide Europe |
| “USSR behaved very honestly” | We lied through our teeth |
| “Lenin, the founder of the Soviet State, established Ukraine” | I am re-writing the past and denying centuries of Ukrainian history |
| “The promise was that NATO would not expand eastward” | The west forced my hand to attack, Russia is innocent |
| “United States should not support separatism or terrorism in the North Caucasus” | You should not care about Russian land-grabs if they are far away |
| “Armed opposition committed a coup in Kiev” | It is always someone else to blame, when Russia is aggressive |
| “They created a threat to Crimea which we had to take under our protection” | I am blaming imaginary adversaries to justify an illegal and shameless land-grab |
| “They launched a war in Donbass in 2014” | Once again, I am blaming the victim for Russia’s own crimes in Donbas |
| “We would have never considered to even lift a finger, if it hadn’t been for the bloody developments on Maidan” | I believe that Russia is a knight in shining armour sent by heavens to save the heathens enthralled by western war-mongering |
| “We never agreed to NATO’s expansion and moreover we never agreed that Ukraine would be in NATO” | I don’t understand that sovereign countries make their own independent foreign and security policy decisions |
| “Ukrainian leadership declared that it would not implement the Minsk Agreements” | I am trying to distract from Russia’s own breaches of said agreements and conjure another faux cause for aggression |
| “No, we haven’t achieved our aims yet” | We will keep killing, raping and razing Ukrainian lands until someone stops us |
| “We pulled back our troops from Kiev” | Please don’t remember how we boasted that it would all be over in three days |
| “Ukraine built its identity upon some false heroes who collaborated with Hitler” | I will say and do anything to demonize Ukraine and justify Russia’s brutality against Ukrainian people |
| “Kiev obeyed the instructions of Western countries, European countries and the United States to fight Russia to the bitter end” | I reject the idea of a sovereign and independent Ukraine acting with its own agency |
| “If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons. It will be over within a few weeks” | Just let us burn Ukraine to the ground |
| “NATO is trying to intimidate their own population with an imaginary Russian threat” | Don’t think about the many, many times Russia has threatened or attacked almost all of its neighbours |
| “Because we have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else” | We definitely have colonial interests in Poland and the Baltic States |
| “United States controls all the world’s media and many European media” | Believe in conspiracy theories and don’t think about Russia’s own massive multi-billion propaganda machine |
| “Completely unjustified policy of pressure was pursued against Russia” | Once again, it’s time to play the victim card |
| “We have never refused negotiations “ | We don’t consider Ukraine sovereign enough to even talk to it |
| “Everyone had the illusion that Russia could be defeated on the battlefield” | In other words, be very scared of our nukes |
| “Russian authorities were always very careful about the culture and religion of those peoples who came into the Russian Empire” | We have systematically oppressed and russified the nations and cultures Russia has occupied and colonized |
| “We won’t attack anyone.” | Like we didn’t attack Ukraine in February 2022 |
| “We have done so many gestures of goodwill out of decency” | If we attack you, it means we care about you |
| “We are ready for a dialogue” | We will accept nothing less than unconditional surrender |
| “The unity is still there” | We will continue to brainwashing and russification of temporarily occupied territories. |
