If the ads running on Russian TV right now are accurate, Putin’s press conference on Dec. 18 is going to be the most exciting thing this year.
That’s at least according to one ad, which was brought to our attention by Guardian reporter Shaun Walker. Walker noted, “Tweeted absurd tv [sic] trailer for Putin presser. Felt like idiot for not noticing it’s fake. Then realised [sic] it isn’t fake.” Some, including Michael McFaul, a former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, were inquisitive. “I too thought it was fake,” he replied.
Initially, it does seem to good to be true — it seems more like a trailer for a high-to-medium-budget action movie than anything. The 41-second ad opens dramatically with scenes from Ukraine and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, and moves (somewhat inexplicably) to scenes from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The soundtrack, however, is what really sets the mood. As Vox’s Max Fisher points out, “you really, really need to turn up the sound to hear the DA DA DUM, DA DA DUM soundtrack.” Once you’ve done that click the “play” button on the video below.
We’ll see what comes out of Thursday’s presser. Chances are it’ll be a lot of talk about the ruble, whose nosedive is arguably equally, if not more, dramatic.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
