Four hours of lies.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin spoke to Russians for the first Time in two years in the traditional format of a year-end press conference. The event took place in the Gostiny Dvor in Moscow.
Last year, the Kremlin decided to forgo communication with the press and citizens, not least due to defeats on the battlefield in Ukraine, the disgraceful retreat from Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson. However, now Putin is full of optimism due to the foreign policy situation, primarily "thanks" to the stalling support for Ukraine from the USA. The dictator does not even hide his glee about this.
Notably, unlike in previous times, this time there was no open accreditation for participation in the show with Putin. Only representatives from Russian regions invited by the Kremlin and selected journalists were able to participate.
The staged telemarathon, which is hard to call anything other than four hours of the dictator's communication, was preceded by several absurdities. For instance, on December 13, the authorities in Kamchatka announced a direct line with Putin using a poster from the controversial series "A Man's Word," featuring an image of Putin. But later, the post about it was deleted from the official Telegram channel of the Kamchatka government.
Characteristic of such "year-end results" was also the complete absence of sharp questions. A recent Levada Center poll showed that most Russians are interested in when the "special military operation" will end, but this question was not addressed. The Russian dictator also did not comment in any way on the protests in Russia by women demanding the demobilization of their husbands.
Putin's year-end results became a parade of lies and ignorance of the dictator, his judgments contradicting each other. However, in the hall, where hundreds of people were present, not a single brave soul was found to point this out.
"Glavkom" gathered the main statements of the dictator, which primarily concern Ukraine.
Why Russia bombs Ukraine
According to Putin, peace will come when Russia achieves its unchanged goals - denazification, demilitarization, and neutral status of Ukraine. He recalled the negotiation process of last March that took place in Turkey and the draft agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which the Kremlin allegedly supported, but Ukraine did not. "In general, they (official Kyiv) did not agree that denazification was necessary, saying that there was no fascization or growth of sentiments. How not? Nazi Bandera is elevated to the rank of national hero. And when the head of the current administration (of Ukraine) applauds a former SS soldier in front of the whole world. Applauds standing. Is this not a manifestation of Nazism?", Putin asks. The Russian dictator took advantage of the mistake of Canadian politicians. They, recall, during Zelensky's visit to Canada, invited a veteran of the "Galicia" division, Yaroslav Hunka, to parliament. Later Canada apologized for this step, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives who invited Hunka resigned.
Another argument, which in Putin's logic explains the necessity of continuing the war in Ukraine, is that cities in southern and eastern Ukraine should... belong to Russia. Allegedly, in all elections, the voters of eastern and southern Ukraine voted for political forces that sympathized with Russia, therefore the territories where these people live should be... part of the Russian Federation. "We did not spoil relations, they spoiled relations with us. The conflict with Ukraine began with the 'coup' of 2014. All the Black Sea region as a result of the Russo-Turkish wars went to Russia (following the Russo-Turkish war of 1787-1791, Russia annexed Crimea, which had never belonged to it before). What does Ukraine have to do with it? Neither Crimea nor the entire Black Sea region have anything to do with Ukraine at all. Odessa is generally a Russian city, we know about this. Everyone knows this well. No, they have invented all sorts of historical nonsense," the dictator stated. Then he turned on a worn-out record about brotherly peoples and the "civil war" in Ukraine. So what are Russian soldiers doing in Ukraine if we have a civil war, the dictator did not specify. By his own logic, if Odessa is a Russian city, should it be bombed every night?!
Putin - the best child killer
The Russian dictator also cynically compared the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with Russia's aggression against Ukraine. Allegedly, nothing similar to what is happening in the Gaza Strip has he done in Ukraine so far. "Look at the special military operation and what is happening in Gaza, and feel the difference," Putin says smugly. According to him, in Ukraine "there is no such level of destruction" as in the Gaza Strip. He did not say anything about who wiped Mariupol, Bakhmut, Maryinka, or Avdiivka off the face of the earth. At the same time, he noted that many children have died in Gaza, arguing that he has killed significantly fewer in Ukraine, and for that, he deserves respect. Notably, not a word was said about the root cause of the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, about the shooting of peaceful Israelis by the organization's militants, including children.
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