Vladimir Putin is a rational president, he just miscalculated – that’s what US President Joe Biden said on CNN last week. The Russian journalist and bestselling author Dmitry Glukhovsky vehemently disagrees with this assessment.
“There was no rational reason for this war. The war is harmful for Russia, for Europe and especially for Ukraine,” says Dmitry Glukhovsky in the 384th episode “important today”. Putin is looking for his own place in history now that he has turned 70 after 20 years at the helm. He is looking for a way to perpetuate his regime after his death, in this case with victory in a bloody war.
Putin – a man who still has to prove himself
During his time with a pro-government Russian television station, Dmitry Glukhovsky met President Putin in person many times and says today: A special magic never emanated from this man, people simply projected a lot into him. In the podcast, Glukhovsky says, “The man is short. Cameramen always had to film him at eye level so that TV viewers wouldn’t see how small he is.” As a former KGB man, Putin is deeply paranoid. Because the elections are being manipulated, he has no direct legitimacy from the people. “That’s why he still has to prove himself.”
In Russia, “If you control TV, you control the population”
But it is also the propagandists who make Putin what he is. They are part of the system, part of the mafia. According to Dmitry Glukhovsky, the supremacy of television plays a major role: “If you control television, you control at least a third of the Russian population.” All messages to the public are always coordinated directly with the presidential administration, says the journalist. “But the Russians know the real situation on the front line. Anyone who is interested will find out the truth somehow.” And that also means that Russia has to absorb military losses. A truth that more and more propagandists are also revealing. You want to show your own ranks that you care about the people. By sharing this information yourself, Dmitry Glukhovsky says you want to maintain control over the audience.
The propagandists are mainly former democratic journalists who have conformed to the Russian state: “I don’t believe for a second that they themselves can believe these lies.” But these people must support Putin and the government, believes Dmitry Glukhovsky. Because after the unexplained deaths of some men from the direct environment of the President, many would be very afraid. Putin once said that a traitor is worse than an enemy. And: “Putin will not forgive a traitor”.
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Source: Stern
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