The Kremlin was no doubt furious about President Joe Biden’s Wednesday interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos. In contrast to former President Donald Trump’s outright refusal to condemn the Russian leader for all his actions, when Biden was asked if he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin was a ‘murderer’, he succinctly replied, ‘Mmm-hmm , I will do that.’
On Thursday, Putin appeared shocked and exasperated when he personally addressed Biden’s comments during a video conversation with residents of Crimea to mark the anniversary of Ukraine’s annexation by Russia in 2014.
Staring angrily into the camera lens, Putin forced a smile and said of Biden, “I wish him good health.” The fraught response could be read as an implied threat, but it most likely refers to the ongoing efforts of the Kremlin-controlled state media to portray the US president as an unfortunate elder suffering from dementia.
To get this desired impression, Russian state media often broadcast clips of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson attacking the American leader’s mental faculties. The campaign to portray President Biden as mentally unfit began long before he was elected, and on that front – and on many others – Russian propaganda reports blended seamlessly with Fox News.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that “nothing like this has happened in history” and described the US president’s statements as “very bad.”
On the same day the ABC interview aired, Russia called its US ambassador, Anatoly Antonov, back “for consultation” on relations with the United States. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said relations between Moscow and Washington “have been going through difficult times”, accusing the US of “reaching a dead end”.
Putin didn’t even bother to deny Biden’s accusation during his Thursday appearance on Russian state television. Instead, the Russian president replied with a comment that roughly translates to “You need one to know one”.
In fact, there is no doubt that Putin is responsible for bloodshed abroad; in Ukraine, Georgia and Syria, and against its own citizens living on foreign soil. Putin was accused last year of ordering the attempted murder of his most vocal and effective domestic rival, Alexei Navalny, by a military-grade nerve agent Novichok. Putin’s government has also been linked to the 2018 poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in England and the shooting of a former commander of Chechen separatists in Berlin in 2019. In 2006, in particular, Putin signed a law targeting killings. legalizes ‘extremists’. Abroad. Last Wednesday, the US imposed additional sanctions on Russia for the use of chemical weapons against dissidents.
Most Russian lawmakers, pundits, and state media pundits did not even try to argue with Biden’s perception of President Putin as a “murderer.” They only shrank from the inconceivable idea of openly criticizing Putin, which is not only taboo in the motherland, but also dangerous. “You can think what you want, you just don’t say it out loud,” said politician Sergey Stankevich. The evening with Vladimir Soloviev
Vladimir Soloviev, the show’s host, grimly suspected the significance of the US President’s statements: “This is an explanation of the New Cold War. Of course we will respond – and we will respond very hard. “
‘He let it slip because he’s an elderly person. Maybe he doesn’t realize that the US president shouldn’t say these things out loud, ”suggested Russian lawmaker Oleg Morozov. Karen Shakhnazarov, a prominent part of talk shows on Russian state television, opposed propaganda statements about Biden’s alleged ailing mental health. “He’s a skilled old wolf,” claimed Shakhnazarov, “he understands exactly what he’s saying … there should be a harsh reaction.”
“This is an outrageous statement,” said Konstantin Zatulin, a member of the Russian lower house, “we should not stand for it. Biden should at the very least be excluded from all relationships.”
Experts and pundits from the Russian state media, many of whom openly miss Biden’s predecessor, gushed about Trump finding the “ right words ” when former Fox News presenter Bill O’Reilly asked him if Putin is a murderer. Instead of a straight answer, Trump responded to O’Reilly with another question, “Do you think our country is that innocent?”
The host of the Russian state television program 60 minutes, Evgeny Popov, reminisced about the former president who called Vladimir Putin “a great guy.” Popov was bitterly surprised: “A surprising transformation, from” great guy “to” murderer “in such a short time!”
With Biden at the helm, Russian lawmakers and talking heads seemed dumbfounded at the exact measures that could be taken against the United States. There was general agreement that the reaction would be nonlinear, asymmetric and decidedly nasty. Experts and experts proposed a variety of measures: from undermining tactics to undermine US vaccines, to obstructing the functions of US businessmen operating in Russia, to ending cooperation in space and meddling in US relations with Iran. and China.
Appear on Russia 60 minutes, Alexei Timofeev, political commentator for state media Sputnik, suggested “release the kompromat” against Biden. Timofeev argued that, following Biden’s comments about Putin, US Ambassador to the Russian Federation John Sullivan “should have holes in the knees of his pants,” begging the Kremlin for forgiveness.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” threatened Igor Korotchenko, a member of the Defense Ministry’s public advisory board. During its appearance on 60 minutesKorotchenko suggested radically increasing the number of resident spies in the United States. He said angrily, “We have to grab them by the udders and have access to all the information when we need it. That will be the best response. “
“They crossed the red line,” said Dmitry Abzalov, director of the Center for Strategic Communication 60 minutes. The program’s host, Evgeny Popov, ominously predicted, “The world will never be the same again.”