Analysts on Russian state television have stepped up a gear in their war rhetoric. Over the past few days it has been heard on all major channels that the Third World War and the use of nuclear weapons are almost inevitable. And that is not to be seen as a bad thing, it sounds, because unlike the “enemy”, anyone who dies for the Russian homeland is assured of a place in “heaven”.
The analyzes on Russian state television follow the big words that were heard last week by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin. Lavrov said on Monday that the chance of World War III is “real” and Putin yesterday threatened to use “weapons that no one else has” against countries trying to intervene in the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian analysts now seem to consider the idea of a Third World War with the deployment of nuclear weapons as unavoidable and communicate this to Russian viewers in the same way. This is evident from images that Russian media analyst Julia Davis shared on social media.
declaration of war
According to presenter Olga Skabeeva on state channel Russia-1, the arms transfers from the West to Ukraine are a declaration of war. “What are we waiting for”, she concludes.
Political scientist Mikhail Markelov also portrays the West as the main villain in the story and even thinks that World War III has de facto already started. “The representatives of these forty different countries are a modern collective Hitler,” he said.
In the talk show of Vladimir Solovyov it was put even more sharply. Solovyov himself complained that the West ignores all warnings from Russia. “Nothing will stop them. They’ve decided to play it big. These are assholes with no morals.”
Quote
The idea that everything will end with a nuclear attack seems more likely to me than any other scenario
However, the most shocking statement came from Margarita Simonyan, the head of the Russian news channel RT. “Either we lose in Ukraine or World War III starts,” she said. “I think the line of World War III is the most realistic, knowing us and knowing our leader Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. The idea that everything will end with a nuclear attack strikes me as more likely than any other scenario. Much to my horror on the one hand, but with the understanding that it just is what it is, on the other.”
Also watch: What is the probability of a third world war?
Heaven
“But we will go to heaven, while they will just crack,” said presenter Solovyov. Which in turn elicited the laconic answer “we all die someday”.
Presenter Dmitry Kulikov also stated that war is sometimes “inevitable”. “Let’s be worthy of our predecessors and anyone who has ever experienced anything like this. Why should we think that our life is worth more than that of our grandparents? Why should we be free from our historic mission?”
Spokesperson Maria Zakharova of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took that hard line. “The Western countries will go as far as they can. If we don’t stop them, they will go to extremes.”
Scenario
A good reason, according to retired Colonel Yury Knutov, not to rule out any scenario. “For some reason they believe they can suffocate Russia until we surrender,” it said on the talk show ’60 Minutes’ yesterday. That Russia will never use its nuclear weapons. But if the very existence of our nation is threatened, we have a right to do so.”
The mystery of the dead oligarchs: how six influential Russians have already been killed (+)
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.