What’s next in Ukraine? Will Vladimir Putin (69) and Volodymyr Zelensky (44) agree on an agreement acceptable to both parties? Will the Russian President withdraw his troops or will the Donbass militants surrender?
On Russian state television, the chief propagandists paint a much darker scenario. On Thursday evening, as so often recently, Margarita Simonian (42) was invited to the talk show by Vladimir Solovyov (58) on the Rossija 1 channel. She is the editor-in-chief of Russia Today and the state media agency Rossiya Sevodnya – better known as “Sputnik” – and is considered, along with Solovyov, a central figure in the Russian propaganda machine.
Simonyan’s prognosis sounds both shocking and insane: “Either we lose to Ukraine, or the third world war begins. I think the path of the third world war is more realistic. Because if you know us and our leader Vladimir Putin and know how everything works here, it’s impossible, there’s absolutely no chance that we’ll just give up and say ‘Oh you know, it didn’t work out’!”
“We’re going to heaven”
Solovyov nods in agreement, while Simonian continues: “The most improbable thing that it will end in a nuclear attack still seems more likely to me than such a course of events. To my horror on the one hand, but on the other hand to understand that that’s the way it is.”
Vladimir Solovyov does not seem to care that a nuclear war would also have fatal consequences for the Russian people. “But we’re going to heaven and they’re just going to die,” he says.
The TV report received lively comments on Twitter. Some insult Simonyan as “completely crazy”. Others suspect a tactic behind it. «They let him (Vladimir Putin, Editor’s note) intentionally look like a complete madman so that they (the Western countries, Editor’s note) fear threats. Don’t fall for it, otherwise there will be no victory, »writes a user. (man)