How ordinary Russian TV viewers are shown the war is an important and terrifying thread
This courageous thread thread by jailed Kremlin critic Alexe7 Navalny has gone wildly viral on Twitter today as he gives the outside world a sense of how an ‘ordinary Russia TV viewer’ is being shown the invasion of Ukraine.
It’s a hugely important and chilling read from Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic who was jailed for nine years last month and was already serving a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
Navalny dismissed the latest criminal case against him as politically motivated and pleaded not guilty. Here is what he wrote on Twitter.
1.
1/14 How an ordinary Russian TV viewer (one of whom I currently am) sees it.
I learned about the monstrous events in Bucha yesterday morning from the news that Russia was convening the UN Security Council in connection with the massacre by Ukrainian Nazis in Bucha.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
2.
2/14 In the evening, the Channel One anchor explained everything. And I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears:
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
3.
3/14 “NATO has been preparing he provocation in Bucha for a long time and at the highest level. It is also confirmed by the fact that President Biden called Putin a “butcher” not long ago”.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
4.
4/14 “Listen how consonant the English word “butcher” and the name of the city “Bucha” are. This is how the Western audience was subconsciously prepared for this provocation.”
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
5.
5/14 I’m telling you, the monstrosity of lies on federal channels is unimaginable. And, unfortunately, so is its persuasiveness for those who have no access to alternative information.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
6.
6/14 My point is that Putin’s propaganda has long ceased to be a tool. They are actual warmongers and have become a party in their own right.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
7.
7/14 The endlessly squealing anchors and their “experts” are revving up their fury and have long since surpassed the military in their aggressiveness.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
8.
8/14 They demand a war to the bitter end, storming Kyiv, bombing Lviv. Even the prospect of a nuclear war does not scare them. They mop up the floor with their fellow Putinists on live television if they as much as hint at the fact that peace talks are a good thing.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
9.
9/14 It’s such a disgusting uroboros. Politics is a propaganda snake biting its own tail. Propagandists create the kind of public opinion that no longer simply allows Putin to commit war crimes, but demands them of him.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
10.
10/14 Warmongers should be treated as war criminals. From the editors-in-chief to the talk show hosts to the news editors, all of this Thousand Hills Radio should be sanctioned now and tried someday.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
11.
11/14 I would also like to remind you that the National Media Group, which owns the lion’s share of this lie machine, no doubt belongs to Putin personally, which is why it is even formally headed by Putin’s mistress Alina Kabaeva (see our investigation “Palace for Putin”).
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
12.
12/14 Most drastic measures should be taken to make the work of these Goebbels heirs more difficult. From a complete ban on the supply and service of equipment, to searching for their assets in the West (which undoubtedly exist) and putting them on visa blacklists.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
13.
13/14 The monstrous atrocities in Bucha, Irpin and other Ukraininan cities were committed not only by those who tied the hands of peaceful people behind their backs, not only by those who shot them in the back of the head.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
14.
14/14 But also by those who stood by and whispered: "Come on, shoot, give us some nice material for our late-night TV show".
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) April 5, 2022
And here are just a few of the things people were saying about it today.
Clear, chilling and bravely spoken. https://t.co/dMJq2bkk2W
— Deborah Meaden 🇺🇦 (@DeborahMeaden) April 6, 2022
My friend @navalny speaks for another Russia. https://t.co/VvoVB2z5SN
— John Sweeney (@johnsweeneyroar) April 5, 2022
Navalny. Always worth listening to – which is why Putin has put @navalny in prison. A better Russia is possible. https://t.co/8rS0HXGG9c
— Gavin Esler (@gavinesler) April 5, 2022
Read the whole thing. And then take the time to look up all the people who called this man the real extremist in Russia and the true danger to the West, parroting the Kremlin's narrative. 👇 https://t.co/a8mpFHqChy
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) April 5, 2022
Navalny is imprisoned by Putin and yet still speaks out against Putin’s evil war. Incredible courage. I pray he will someday become president of a free Russia. https://t.co/7brwGa5spv
— Max Boot 🇺🇦🇺🇸 (@MaxBoot) April 5, 2022
READ MORE
This thread about the ‘first Great Information War’ is a fascinating and important read
Source Twitter @navalny
