Arnold Schwarzenegger is back with another heartfelt video message, this time to the people of Russia—a country where Schwarzenegger is hugely popular, per the New York Times. Russian President Vladimir Putin even follows Schwarzenegger on Twitter, one of just 22 accounts he follows. In a more than 9-minute-long video posted to multiple social media channels, the bodybuilder, actor, and former governor of California says he's loved Russia and Russians ever since meeting bodybuilder Yuri Petrovich Vlasov when Schwarzenegger was just 14. He goes on to tell the Russian people they're being lied to about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While some of the services Schwarzenegger posted to are blocked in Russia, Telegram is not, and the video, which is subtitled in Russian, had more than 500,000 views on that app so far, the AP reports.
Schwarzenegger says those putting themselves at risk to protest in Russia are his new heroes, and goes on to combat the disinformation Russia is spreading. "I know that your government has told you this is a war to de-Nazify Ukraine. This is not true. De-Nazify Ukraine? It is a country with a Jewish president—a Jewish president, I might add, whose father’s three brothers were all murdered by the Nazis," Schwarzenegger says. "Ukraine did not start this war. Neither did nationalists or Nazis. Those in power in the Kremlin started this civil war; this is not the Russian people’s war." He runs down the UN vote that overwhelmingly found Russia to be the aggressor, the harsh sanctions placed on Russia, and the actions taken by Russia in Ukraine, including shelling a children's hospital and a maternity hospital.
"You’re also not being told the truth about the consequences of this war for Russia itself. I regret to tell you that thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed. They’ve been caught between Ukrainians fighting for their homeland and the Russian leadership fighting for conquest," Schwarzenegger says, adding that some Russian soldiers were told they would be fighting Nazis or protecting ethnic Russians in Ukraine; others were told they'd be greeted as heroes in Ukraine; and others weren't even told they were going to war, but rather to participate in military exercises. "None of this was true. Russian soldiers have faced fierce resistance from the Ukrainians who want to protect their families." The full text is here. Schwarzenegger's rep says the actor and his team wrote the statement and it was fact-checked by retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. (More Arnold Schwarzenegger stories.)
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