A Russian state TV host has shifted the narrative of the conflict with Ukraine to invoke the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a whole, saying that his country is at war with the 30 member states for its own survival and will continue to defend itself indefinitely.
Known Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has attacked NATO and its member countries in recent days, most recently making comments in a video posted to Twitter on Thursday by BBC journalist Francis Scarr, alleging that Russia has “liberated over 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory” and “around 10 million Ukrainian citizens from Nazi authorities.”
“It’s a war against NATO, a war for our country’s survival,” Solovyov said, adding that Russia “decided finally to finish the eight-year war,” referencing Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in Donbas.
“Over the first six months of the special military operation, with minimal human losses, we’re fighting with less than 15 percent of our peacetime army,” he said.
Six months on, there's no suggestion that state media are preparing Russians for a scaling-back of the Kremlin's ambitions in Ukraine
Solovyov says Russia is fighting a war against Nato for its survival and has "liberated" over 10 million Ukrainians from their "Nazi government" pic.twitter.com/EtDRM2dYOM
— Francis Scarr (@francis_scarr) August 25, 2022
He also invoked alleged American talking points that Russian forces have “disabled more than 200,000 Ukrainian Nazi servicemen” in terms of both dead and wounded soldiers. The Pentagon has estimated between 70,000 and 80,000 wounded or dead Russian casualties since the war’s inception, while Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday his forces are “deliberately” slowing down to avoid additional civilian casualties.
On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged NATO members at the Crimea Platform summit to provide Ukraine with “more weapons, and more ammunition, more quickly” in preparation for a “hard winter” fast approaching.
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Also on Tuesday, the Pentagon said Ukraine aid packages are further proof that “challenges [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s theory” that he can “wait out” the war and the efforts made by Ukraine and its allies.
An anonymous Pentagon official earlier this month said Ukrainian troops have surprised Putin and allies worldwide, combating aggression in a manner “we might not have thought [was] possible.”
This is the second instance in a matter of days that Russian TV hosts have targeted NATO, previously blaming the organization in addition to Ukraine for the assassination of 29-year-old Darya Dugina, daughter of Russian ultra-nationalist Alexander Dugin, which Russian military commentator Igor Korotchenko called “a terrorist act” perpetrated by the U.S., Great Britain and Estonia.
Solovyov blamed NATO and seemed confused at his own country’s response, saying the “the West is moving towards an open confrontation with Russia” and that his homeland is “acting strangely” in response to what he alleges will be an eventual military confrontation against Russia perpetrated by NATO and its members.
Newsweek reached out to NATO and the defense ministries of Russia and Ukraine for comment.
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