Recalcitrant Russian pundits risked the wrath of dictator Vladimir Putin on a television show in which they spoke out against an invasion of Ukraine that was called “another Afghanistan, but worse.”
Karen Shakhnazarov, a well-known director, producer and screenwriter, stated on the state show “An Evening with Vladimir Solovyov” that Russia should “stop our hostilities.”
“The war in Ukraine paints a frightening picture, it has a very depressing effect on our society,” said the 69-year-old expert on the Kremlin-controlled Rossiya 1 channel, according to The Daily Beast.
“Ukraine, no matter how you look at it, is something with which Russia has thousands of human connections. The suffering of one group of innocent people does not compensate for the suffering of other innocent people,” he said.
“I don’t see the possibility of denazification of such a huge country,” Shakhnazarov continued in comments in stark contrast to Putin’s account of what he called a “special military operation.”
Tanks are seen being destroyed on the outskirts of Brovary, Ukraine. HANDOUT MATERIAL AZOV
The body of a Russian soldier lies on a road in Sytnyaki, Ukraine. Anastasia Vlasova
The map shows areas of Ukraine threatened by Russian invasion.
“We would need to bring in 1.5 million soldiers to control all of this. At the same time, I do not see any political force that would consolidate Ukrainian society in a pro-Russian direction,” he said.
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“The most important thing in this scenario is to stop our military actions. Others will say that the sanctions will remain. Yes, they will remain, but, in my opinion, it is very important to stop the active phase of the military operation,” Shakhnazarov added.
His comments come against the backdrop of the Kremlin’s crackdown on news organizations, both foreign and domestic, whose journalists are based in Russia.
Vladimir Putin takes part in a meeting of the Security Council via videoconference. Moscow, March 11. Mikhail Klimentiev
A stricken tank stands on the street after fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops on the main road north of Kyiv. Felipe Dana
A woman walks past a sign showing the exchange rates for the euro and the US dollar against the Russian ruble. MAXIM SHEMETOV
Last week, Maria Baronova, editor-in-chief of the state-run media outlet RT, resigned after publicly criticizing the invasion, telling her subscribers on the encrypted messaging service Telegram: “Our grandfathers didn’t fight for this.”
On Thursday’s show, Shakhnazarov also said that “public opinion in Russia is changing.”
“People are shocked by the masses of refugees, the humanitarian catastrophe, people are starting to imagine themselves in their place. It starts to affect them. To say that the Nazis are doing this, strictly speaking, is not entirely convincing, ”he said.
View of the closed Prada store in Moscow on March 10. MAXIM SHIPENKOV
The corpses are placed in a mass grave on the outskirts of Mariupol. Eugene Maloletka
View of a closed Gucci store in Moscow on March 10. MAXIM SHIPENKOV
“In addition, economic sanctions will begin to affect them, and seriously. There will likely be a shortage. We do not produce many products, even the simplest ones. There will be unemployment,” he continued.
Another guest, Middle East expert Semyon Bagdasarov, agreed with Shakhnazarov’s grim assessment.
“We haven’t even felt the impact of the sanctions yet… We have to be prepared for total lockdown. I’m not panicking, I’m just calling a spade a spade,” he said, prompting Kremlin supporter Solovyov to bark, “Gotcha. We should just lay down and die,” reports The Daily Beast.
Katya, 14, is being treated in hospital after being injured while escaping with her family from a village north of Kyiv. Felipe Dana
Customers line up to enter a Uniqlo store in Moscow. MAXIM SHEMETOV
EU heads of state take part in an informal meeting to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. IAN LANGSDON / POOL
But Bagdasarov continued the anti-Kremlin narrative.
“Let the Ukrainians do this “denazification” themselves. We can’t do it for them… As for their neutrality, yes, we have to wring it out of them, that’s all. We do not need to stay there longer than necessary,” he said.
“We need to get to another Afghanistan, but worse?” he added, referring to the 10-year Soviet occupation that ended in 1989 and contributed to the collapse of the USSR.
Guest Dmitry Abzalov, director of the Center for Strategic Communications, said that while energy prices would rise for much of the West, it would not do much to alleviate the suffering of Russian citizens, according to the Daily Beast.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pauses in his speech in Kyiv on March 10. AP
A woman walks past a closed Chanel store in Moscow.–
Satellite image of supply trucks and a “probable salvo fire” in Berestyanka, Ukraine.
“We will continue to be the ones to get hit on the terminal – and incomparable, although other countries will also suffer some losses. We will all go to hell together – except maybe China – but if we go to hell with the French or the Germans, our people will not feel better,” he said.
Abzalov argues that once the Kremlin stops its intrusion, Western companies that have temporarily suspended their activities in Russia will quickly return.
“This is about toxicity, not just about sanctions… It will go away as soon as the situation stabilizes,” he said on the show.