Lots of praise, some criticism – but also a few interesting facts. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s emotional speech on the war in Ukraine is the number one topic of conversation on Twitter.
«The authorities in the Kremlin started this war. This is not the war of the Russian people.” Arnold Schwarzenegger clear words to the Russian people have triggered an immense echo on the Internet.
I was never a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I don’t think I’ve seen any of his films.
Now he really impressed me.
“Terrible Things You Should Know About” via @faznet https://t.co/WaWIgvfqVH
— Kiki42 ???? (@Paragrafenhexe) March 18, 2022
Comments of praise from fans of the action film hero are not surprising, but the “New York Times” draws attention to an interesting aspect: the Kremlin only subscribed to 22 people and organizations on Twitter. One of them: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The official Twitter account for the president of Russia follows 22 others — and one of them is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who in a video posted on Thursday debunked Russian disinformation regarding the war on Ukraine and urged Putin to end the conflict.https://t.co/O1kTCsoenr
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 17, 2022
This underlines the cult status of the “Terminator” in Russia. And as of Friday followingnoon, the “President of Russia” has not yet terminated his allegiance to the cult actor on his English-language profile.
Other Twitter profiles followed by the Kremlin include the Russian Foreign Ministry, various Russian media, the WEF in Davos, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Meanwhile, the heads of state in Moscow are no longer up to date: the messages from US President Barack Obama, who has already been succeeded by two successors in the White House, and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper are subscribed to. No sign of Joe Biden or Justin Trudeau.
There is also a Russian-language Kremlin Twitter profile. Also here: Arnold Schwarzenegger can be found among the only 33 subscribed channels.
Amid the many praises that the Hollywood star and former governor of California is receiving, there are also critical tones. For example, some object to the fact that reporting on the war in Ukraine is sometimes reminiscent of an action film. The presentation of the news magazine “Spiegel” has to hold out as a negative example.
A statement by Vitali Klitschko also fits in with this. In a new video shared on Twitter, the mayor of Kyiv says “orks” are behind an attack on a residential area. The enemy soldiers are made into monsters from the “Lord of the Rings” universe. The sad reason for the video: one person is said to have been killed in attacks on residential buildings, a kindergarten and a school, and 19 others were injured – including four children, said Klitschko. As so often in this war, these statements cannot be independently confirmed.
Friends! Dear Kyivans!
The enemy continues to attack the capital. In the morning, a residential area in the Podolsk district was shelled by orcs. One person died, 19 were injured, including four children.
6 houses, kindergartens and a school were damaged.
Rescuers and medics are working on the spot. pic.twitter.com/w9aIrqogPx– Vitaliy Klychko (@Vitaliy_Klychko) March 18, 2022