Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to exert his relentless control of force in the last fictitious elections, in which none of the other candidates had any hope, project or even dream of victory. The lone pro-peace candidate, Boris Nadezhdin, was threatened by the leadership of pro-Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov and barred from participating in the elections. Some of his supporters have been arrested and their homes are being searched by security forces. The main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, died suddenly in prison, just in time for Putin’s Big Show.
Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), who came in last, stressed the obvious: “In these elections, the most important thing is not victory, but turnout. “Slutsky added: “That percentage, the difference between the 3 candidates – it doesn’t matter. What happens is that we participated in the historic crusade for the Russian presidential elections, which once ago demonstrated the authority of the nation’s leader. “
The politics of the state media consisted of jubilant proclamations, juxtaposed with violent threats against any opponent of Putin’s regime, whether domestic or foreign. On Monday, on the state television program 60 Minutes, Oleg Matveychev, a member of the State Duma, proclaimed: “These elections were about to be an unprecedented and, by the way, legitimate event. “He added: “The result is unprecedented and historic!People came first of all to our boys who are now fighting at the front. Everyone saw their vote as a shot at the enemy. “
On Saturday’s broadcast on the Soloviev Live TV channel, as the election kabuki display was underway, presenter Marat Bulatov described the procedure as a mere “ritual” meant to prop up Putin. Commentator Vitaly Serukhanov added: “Everyone understands that Russia is lately in a certain old stage. It would be a mistake, not to say a criminal one, not to be the ideal commander. “
Serukhanov claimed that Putin’s re-election had global implications, saying: “You can see that tectonic shifts are all over the world. U. S. hegemony is falling. Presenter Marat Bulatov added: “These are historic moments!We’re fitting into the middle, even if it’s not the center of creation, at least the center of global change.
Referring to the enemies of Putin’s regime as “vlasovitas,” Bulatov said a picture is worth a thousand words and posted a photo of what happened to Andrey Vlasov, a questionable figure in Russian history. Presenting a graphic symbol of a mass hanging, Bulatov said: “Here they are!That’s how they ended. There is no other way. No more half-measures. Traitors will have to be dealt with drastically. ” Serukhanov added: “That’s all, it’s the only way. “
During his jubilant appearance at his crusade headquarters on Sunday, Putin made a similar reference: “During the Great Patriotic War, there was a formation created through the traitor Vlasov: the Vlasovites. They, too, fought against their homeland with weapons in their hands. That’s it, it’s well known.
It should be noted that Russian propaganda uses general terms to describe not only the armed resistance, but also Putin’s opposition leaders as “vlasovitas. “For years, Putin’s most sensible propagandists have called Alexei Navalny a “traitor” and argued that he deserved to die.
Horrific photographs and threatening messages were accompanied by excessive enthusiasm for Putin’s re-election, reminiscent of North Korea’s theatrical celebrations. State TV presenter Marina Kim and actor Vyacheslav Manucharov gave the impression of being out of their minds during Monday’s live broadcast from Soloviev from Red Square, celebrating the 10th anniversary. of the annexation of Crimea and Putin’s re-election.
An organization of dark-faced men dressed in traditional costumes stood silently behind them. Manucharov turned to the extras and suggested they sign up for him, shouting “Hooray!Kim excitedly announced, “I feel like a child!I need to cry and explode at the same time! It’s a feeling of general happiness!He added: “I spent most of the night at Putin’s campaign headquarters, we are all celebrating Vladimir Putin’s election victory!We will not accept this victory!
Manucharov exclaimed excitedly: “It’s a normal number!We are satisfied that we can, in spite of everything, be able to express this in the air and congratulate our Supreme Commander on his excellent victory!Hooray!
During his appearance on Monday’s Àl’auvent program, meteorologist Evgeny Tishkovets went even further and claimed that even nature celebrates Putin’s re-election. He pompously asserted, “Our fifth ocean, the sky, rejoices in the victory of our president!”
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