It doesn’t take a foreign policy expert to realize that things are not looking great for Vladimir Putin. He’s finally admitted to his Ukraine war brewing up an “extremely complicated” set of circumstances, and word on the street is that he’s plotting to flee Russia if/when he loses his war, and there are reports of him feeling increasingly “vulnerable” as Ukraine continues to reclaim territory. Now, Russian State TV talking heads are apparently seeing the darkness at the end of the tunnel, and they’re lashing out on TV towards anyone who dares to mention peace negotiations.
As The Daily Beast reports, on-air freakouts reveal “a very real fear that propagandists — along with military and government officials — would be forced to answer for their war crimes, including public incitement of these actions on state television.” Working for Russian State TV media is not an ideal path these days for sure. One TV editor recently (and bravely) interrupted a broadcast to protest the war, and she faced consequences. For those who remain propagandists, an even bigger price may be coming.
Via The Daily Beast, that’s led to Putin’s remaining allied talking heads declaring the need for their own type of tribunals (for those who want peace):
In recent days, multiple state TV programs have warned that Russia’s defeat in this war would lead to war crimes tribunals at the Hague or elsewhere, arguing that the only way of escaping that fate is ensuring Russia’s victory, by any means necessary. During Friday’s broadcast of NTV’s program Our Own Truth, host Roman Babayan led panelists into discussions about the need for Russia’s own war crimes tribunals, which should be set in motion in anticipation of an impending victory over Ukraine.
February will see the one-year anniversary of Putin’s Ukraine invasion with no real indication that Russia can actually win, despite Putin’s massive draft. And on a more frivolous note, the Kremlin still has not addressed the report of Putin pooping and falling down the stairs. I guess they’re busy fielding other important accusations.
(Via The Daily Beast)