I’ve noticed that the number of sheer lies, as opposed to narrative glosses, has started to increase in Western media recently. Possibly related to the fact that right now Ukraine is losing the war.
This is an interview with one of the stalwart Russians still willing to face the routine abuse they get on Western media.
Comments:
As usual the anchor frequently interrupts the speaker. (Frustratingly she didn’t let him answer her point about how in the UK people can freely discuss independence for Scotland and Wales).
Sergei Markov makes his point about how Russians see losses in Ukraine, claiming that they are not happy with losses in Ukraine because they see Ukrainians as Russians. The anchor reframes that as Markov saying that as an objective fact and adds “but that is not how Ukrainians see it”. Well, most of them, no. But here is one of the fundamental (and while arguably not genocidal, certainly murderous) lies of the Western media-political-war machine. The lie is that Ukraine is a unitary whole and one can talk about “Ukrainians” as if they all speak with one voice. The millions of people, mostly, in the South and East of Ukraine who did indeed want to maintain ties with Russia and Russian culture are simply de-existed. If they are mentioned at all the line is that the agitation in the Donbas was 100% the result of Russian infiltration which is the precise line told by the regime in Kiev. The Crimean referendum was carried out “at the point of a Kalashnikov”. (The Western polls which produce the same result as the Kremlin-run referendum are seldom mentioned). The only Ukrainians allowed to exist are those who want to be part of the West. (Everyone else is, in fact, to be killed).
“Sergei, you say that Russian people don’t care what Western leaders are saying. But obviously, it is very difficult for them to access any information”. You have to laugh at the shameless lies. Not least because this clip in which this one is produced is viewable in Russia. Most of Western media is available in Russia. Any Russian who wants to read Western media has plenty of access. This is the age of the built-in translator so language is not a barrier. The few sites which are officially blocked, such as the BBC, can, of course, be accessed by anyone who wants with a VPN, illegally – or there are various news aggregator apps.
Times Radio in particular have a habit of imposing their narrative on these interviews. In this case the anchor makes the above completely false point and then, in one breath, moves on to talk about Navalny, making it hard for Markov to contest her lies.
“Big, unanswered, questions about why a healthy 47-year old passed away in a Russian prison”. Let me break it to the anchor – people aged 47 do sometimes just die.
Markov responds about Navalny by saying that Navalny killed his political career when he did not back Crimean unification in 2014. He goes on to say “can you imagine the political future of a politician in London who is against Wales or Scotland being part of the United Kingdom”. The anchor responds with a big song and dance about how of course she could because “we are a democratic country”. (She has studiously avoided even acknowledging Markov’s points that Ukraine is hardly a democracy; no elections and political repression). But, in reality all Markov commented on was the “political future” of a politician, and certainly e.g. a member of the Conservative Party or Labour Party who spoke out in favour of Scottish independence would probably not have much of a future in that party. That much is true. Of course, on can point out that it is not really feasible in Russia to call for Crimea to be returned to Ukraine, but that was not the specific point; Markov is making an argument that national unity is important for a politician. He is probably it has to be said not that informed about Scottish independence. (In general terms though Markov is right. For example; Western media loves to mock the Russian Duma for the way they all come together on questions such as Crimean unification, support for the special military operation, and so on. But, in reality when the UK is involved in a war, not supporting that war is not a popular position. George Galloway opposed the Iraq war. When he was recently elected to Parliament the Prime Minister got in such a panic that he hastily convened an address to the nation about ‘extremism’).
At the end the anchor can’t keep the sarky tone out of her voice. These people are living in a purely delusional world, sustained by the own lies. It is indeed the Empire of Lies. (I wish it wasn’t). Or, in some cases it might be better to call it the Empire of Delusions.