Day after day, the Kremlin floods the world with its propaganda. In the new column we present the most macabre, bizarre or perfidious pearls from the propagandists’ workshop. This time: the nuclear fantasies of Dmitri Kiselyov.
Dmitri Kiselyov is one of the most well-known television faces in Russia. It goes on the air every Sunday during prime time. Since 2012 Kiselyov has been presenting the viewers of the state broadcaster Rossya 1 with a review of the news of the week. But his show “Westi” has absolutely nothing to do with news. Instead of information, he delivers perfidious agitation in fine suits.
Week after week Kiselyov brings a grotesque world view to the people. The director of the media company “Rossya Sevodnya”, which operates news portals and radio stations in 30 languages under the umbrella brand “Sputnik”, is one of the most influential players in the Kremlin’s propaganda apparatus. Sometimes he demands that the hearts of homosexual accident victims should not be used for transplants, but should be “burned or buried because they are not fit for life”. Sometimes he trumpets that Russia could turn the United States into “radioactive ash” at any time.
Mister “radioactive ash” – this nickname has stuck to the man, who is regarded as the Kremlin’s chief propagandist, since that evening in 2015 when he threatened America with complete annihilation.
Since then, seven years have passed and it is now considered good manners in Russia to swing the nuclear baton. Vladimir Putin gallops ahead. The propagandists follow suit. And Kiselyov prances around the studio as he raves about “wiping Britain off the map” with a giant nuclear torpedo.
Radioactive tsunami as an alternative
“We could send Britain to the bottom of the sea with Russia’s unmanned underwater vehicle Poseidon,” Kiselyov suggested as an alternative on a Sunday evening in May. “The detonation of this thermonuclear torpedo off the coast of Britain will trigger a 500 meter radioactive tsunami wave that will sweep across the British Isles.” At the same time, a computer animation shows what the destruction of Great Britain would look like.
So nothing new in the East. Great Britain reacted laconically. The response would be a nuclear strike should an attack occur. And neighboring Ireland calmly admits that the method of intimidation is not working, rather exposing the tense atmosphere in the Kremlin.
Upside down
A red rag – for Putin. And thus also for Kiselyov. Two weeks after demonstrating how Britain would be wiped off the world map, he demands an apology. From Great Britain! For a “baseless threat to attack Russia”. The threat comes from an archipelago that “is actually a submersible island,” Kiselyov says in amazement.
“We don’t intimidate anyone. The narration of our possibilities has an anti-war modality. À la: Let’s not start. It will end badly. It is better to live in peace,” Kiselyov declared, spitting out every single syllable with pathos .
In the propaganda world of Dmitri Kisselev
And you’ve already arrived in the grotesque parallel world of the Kremlin agitator. In this world, Britain threatens Russia with a nuclear strike – for absolutely no reason. And that when Russia only wants to live in peace.
In this world, Russia “politely asked for confirmation of the principle of mutual security and Ukraine’s non-admission to NATO.” But got a rude answer.
In this world, Finland and Sweden want to join NATO out of fear. “But in NATO it will be even more scary,” predicts Kisselev. Because Russia will be forced to position new tactical nuclear weapons in the region. “The nuclear-free status of the Baltic States will then be a thing of the past.”
Kiselev does not explain why Finland and Sweden are afraid of Russia in his world. “We’re not threatening anyone. We’re just talking about an answer to NATO expansion in our direction. That’s not our decision,” he insists over and over again. New measures are inevitable. This could include rethinking the “nuclear doctrine” regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons. You will have to talk about lowering the threshold.
“The Norse decided themselves to put themselves in a hotter position. We don’t want to threaten anyone. We didn’t choose it. But the territory of Sweden and Finland will be our rightful targets from now on. So far they have existed not there.”
A scoundrel who feels threatened by these words.
Get to know another prominent face of Kremlin propaganda here. The Russian secret service FSB set up an entire terrorist cell for him and developed an almost perfect murder plan.
