Hello everyone, in this video I want to comment
on the popular interview of Tucker Carlson and Putin. As a Russian, I want to give my perspective,
let's begin. I will not recap the whole interview, obviously, you saw the memes where Putin went
on talking about historical facts, dukes, who is the brother to whom, he did all that answering,
actually not answering, a quite direct question 'Why did you start the war? Why did you feel threat
from NATO?' So Putin did this. And by the fact, how ma
ny memes about this appeared in the western
segment of the internet, by this fact I realized that for Western audience this is something new,
because for us Russians it is usual, when Putin talks about history. He did that when he started
the war, when he invaded Ukraine and he said that Ukraine is a nation, is a country, created by Lenin,
and actually Ukrainians are Russians who don't want to be Russians, that's why they deserve to
be invaded. So we are used to this, but now you also get t
o see his true personality. And even the
former president of Mongolia mocked him and posted this picture of the Mongolian Empire. Probably now
Mongolia should reclaim territories of Russia because it belonged to them? Under this video on the
Carlson YouTube channel I found some comment like 'I'm a Russian native speaking person. Kudos to
the translator, because he managed to translate a quite unique Putin's speech style.' And well,
as a Russian speaker, I can say that Putin does not have a
unique style, he uses average phrases,
his speech is not... it's not beautiful to a native speaker. But what he does use is his KGB techniques,
manipulations, when he humiliates his opponents like when he said to Carlson 'Are we having a talk show
or a serious conversation?', or when he said that he doesn't remember when he spoke to Biden for the
last time. And of course, he stated that it were the Ukrainian forces who started the war in the
eastern part of the country in 2014, and that it
was Ukraine who started this war in 2022. It
was them who started the war, our goal is to end it. So following this, Tucker Carlson asked him
'Do you think that you achieved your goals? Have you ended the war by now?' and to that he said some
nonsense that I heard for so many times, so Putin said that 'No, we haven't achieved it yet because
there are neo-nazis in Ukraine'. Also Putin spoke about Christianity. That Serbians are our brothers
in faith, and that Orthodox Christianity has been c
onnecting our peoples, Russians, Ukrainians and
when Tucker Carlson asked him, 'How a leader can be a Christian but also keeping in mind that
he has to kill? How do you decide this moral question?' And to this Putin answered that 'Well, when
it comes to defending your country, it's okay'. It is so disgusting to hear this because Putin and
the Russian propaganda, in general, uses Orthodox Christianity to create this cultural code for our
people, but in fact, like I said this many times in my
videos, Russians, they are not religious. They
don't go to church in that American understanding every Sunday, like they don't care. Because this is
the heritage of the Soviet Union. And what is more, Putin himself he is not a religious person. Again,
they show how he celebrates the Epiphany, how he puts the candle on religious holidays, but he's not
religious, especially if you see what he is doing now... no. And then he proceeded talking about this
common trope, about the 'cold and pragm
atic West' versus 'spiritual Russians', who think about the
eternal, who read Dostoyevsky, who have this 'Russian soul'. And I, honestly, hate this concept because I don't
like when people prescribe some particular feature to a nation, like for example, when they say
that all Georgians are hospitable and smiley to you, and warm, or that all Americans are
superficial and they have this fake smile, and blah blah blah, and I don't like this, like I obviously
think that there are different peop
le everywhere. Yes, there are some cultural things that are
different depending on the context, but it's not that we have some Russian soul, spirituality and all that stuff. Also I want to point out how Russian State media 'journalists' covered the arrival of Tucker Carlson to Moscow. They followed every step like 'Tucker Carlson went to a supermarket, Tucker Carson ate in the Russian McDonald's, Vkusno i tochka, a worker of the Vkusno i tochka commented his meeting
with Tucker Carlson', and t
his all looks like a servility to a foreigner. The whole American bothered
to visit our Russia! And then they asked him how did he like Moscow, and Tucker Carlson said some
stock phrase like 'Yeah, I love the city, it is an amazing city', and when translated to Russan,
it sounds excessive. And of course, they shared this on every talk show, how Tucker Carlson likes
Moscow, and I really despise the way how they talked about him, this shows that they look up at
him. And it is funny how on one
hand, they slander America on the TV, but at the same time, both
these propagandists and the Russian vatniks who watch the TV, secretly dream about about having
a green card or having the standard of living that people in the United States have. So what is this all for? I think it's just mutual exploitation, because Tucker Carlson made this 'controversial
interview' to suit his image of a truth fighter or whatever, and maybe, probably, he got a lot of
money from Kremlin, and as for Putin, i
t is also a platform for him to appeal to the Western
audience, especially to Americans on the eve of the presidential elections in America. Before this interview, Tucker Carlson said, 'We, Americans don't hear the other side! Nobody actually interviewed Putin' But no, journalists tried to interview him, and I actually like these trait, this tradition in the western society to question everything, to be tolerant to other points of view, and give a benefit of a doubt. And maybe it is useful for
anthropological and psychiatric purposes to watch a video with Putin. But it's not that we heard some other truth. We heard just nonsense about Rurik and
princes of Russia in the 12th century. It was not even an interview, and Carlson didn't manage to
show Putin as this witty authoritarian leader who cares about his country. No he just showed
us an insane old man who is drowned in his ill ideas and his desire to go down in history. And here is this common opinion that Putin is actually not da
ngerous, he said that he has no interest (!) to invade Poland or Baltic states, 'he just wants to protect his country, and in fact, it is a civil war it is Russians against Russians and Americans must not interfere there'. Some Putinverstehers, some admirers of Putin say that 'His knowledge brings a new perspective', 'It is an important question about self-identification of a nation and it's it's very deep...' But it's not. It's not a civil war Russians against Russians, it is Russia invading an
other sovereign state. Even if what Putin says is true and sometime
Ukraine didn't exist and blah blah blah, Well, okay but we have internationally recognized borders so it is still not right to invade another country and kill thousands of people there. And then in the end of the interview, Putin had the audacity
to say that 'Eventually relationships between the two peoples will heal', and then he told the
story from a battlefield where Russian soldiers surrounded Ukrainian soldiers, and said
to them
to surrender, but Ukrainian soldiers answered to them in perfect Russian, 'Russians don't surrender!'
because they are Russians deep in their soul... And I was like shut the f*ck up, it is so cynical to say this,
like how dare you? You killed so many people. There are posts on one of the Russian independent media outlets, where they post pictures of victims of the war with the
agreement of their relatives. And when I see these photos on the interne,t I assume that these
are just pict
ures of some people, but no, they are dead, and there their stories told, and where they
lived in Ukraine and how they died, and I, by the way, posted one of these stories on my VK page, and for that I might be persecuted in Russia for 'spreading fakes' So when I see this, I see mothers, children, old people, men, women, people my age... And it is just so terrifying, and it's been 2
years already, even today, like yesterday there are still people who die from the actions of Russia.
And it is
so cynical when Putin mentions Christianity, and also in the end of this interview
he said that Ukrainian authorities dismantled the Orthodox church because this is what connects
Russians and Ukrainians, like how dare you to mention Christianity, the Orthodox Church, when you
just a bloody murderer, like Hitler? And yes, the comparison with Hitler is overused nowadays,
but for me it is completely justified. So please, don't for these propaganda, don't give them benefits of
a doubt, because
Putin already showed many times who he truly is, and yeah, that was my opinion
about this 'interview', as a Russian who lived all my life in Russia. I started this channel as
a channel about Russia and the Russian culture, and I had to leave the country more than one
year ago because I felt unsafe staying there and speaking up against the Russian government and the war. And it's very frustrating that Putin got this opportunity, this platform to speak to the American audience. Honestly I don't
know how much this interview will be popular in the western world, so write in the comments your opinion. Have you heard from maybe your acquaintances about
this and what you think about this all? Subscribe to my channel, like this video, write your comments,
and see you in the next video! Goodbye, poka-poka!
Comments
After making this video, I learnt about death of Alexei Navalny in prison. This is another cynical murder committed by Putin. Navalny was a brave and inspiring person, the main figure who united Russian civil society, and it is a big loss for us. Someday, there will be streets in Russia named in honour of Navalny, Nemtsov, Politkovskaya and others. Thanks to everyone for your warm messages. Let’s take care of ourselves and our loved ones❤
In Poland people were appalled by the interview. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement debunking 10 major Putin’s lies about Poland and Ukraine. I’ve just heard about Navalny 😢 It’s very sad.
Brava,Natasha ! it's excellent analysis, that should be used by American media to explain this Putin-Carlson show. I admire your ability to keep your sanity, despite being raised in crazy country. As a Polish American, I have similar perspective on Kremlin mafia, and feel great compassion for Russians like you, your country has been hijacked by criminals. All the best from California 😍😍😍
When I was watching the Tucker Carlson interview with Putin, I was thinking, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if Natasha did a video about this?" And now here it is! Thank you!
Spot on. As russian, I confirm Natashas point about Putin's interview. We are tired of his lies and his evil.
You had me at "Shut the fuck up!" ❤❤❤😂😅
I always appreciate hearing your perspective and views as someone having lived in Russia most of your life and been exposed to the Russian narrative as well as the opposing Western views from the global media. We all form opinions from our experiences and the information that we can access. I don't think either side is fully right and it's tragic that innocent people are killed when they are caught up in the middle. Although in your view of the Putin interview, you think what Putin has said is nothing new, to me living in America, a lot of it is new because I have not heard that side/perspective before. And yes, the way that old Russians think and view their purpose in the world is quite different than the way Americans and Westerners think, having grown up in completely different times and cultures. And even the way you think and see your purpose and place in the world is different, because you have grown up in a much more modern and Westernized time period, with more freedom of information and sharing through the media than in past times. The way Putin talked and explained himself reminded me of the way old Russian teachers of mine talked. Obviously, Putin assigns great importance to history, culture, and patriotism to one's country. It seems his duty and main drive is to benefit Russia in the long term (not necessarily in the short term), to honor history and cultural ties, and protect the values he believes are important for Russia. On the other hand, many westerners believe history is not so important (what's past is past, the present is what matters, and history is just a tool for us to review and not to repeat past events), that culture doesn't separate or define people as much as it did in the past, and that patriotism to one's country is a very old concept - many westerners would move to another country without a second thought if they got the chance or had enough money to do so - the grass is always greener somewhere else and everyone is really motivated by what benefits themselves the best. From all the information I have seen, it seems to me that the war is a proxy war between the Western forces and NATO, and Russia with Ukraine being the one to act it out in the middle. It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Ukraine and Ukrainians - it could just have easily been any other bordering country between Russia and the West, but Ukraine happened to have the right location and resources to be the perfect middle-man (the interview covered some of those other factors that played a role in the formation and progression of the war - the supply of oil, the Nord pipeline sabotage, the "coup d'état" as Putin calls it when a Western-leaning leader was elected in Ukraine, Ukraine joining NATO and the placement of NATO forces and western forces in Ukraine - each piece played a part. Putin is not good at summarizing the points into one concise explanation, but he explained his perspective and the events that formed the war in the way that he knows how. I also found it interesting when he explained the relationship dynamics between him and the U.S. and the CIA's involvement in the early 2000s. He inquired whether NATO would be open to Russia joining or not, and received the answer that they would not. It was hinted that if they had been open to it, maybe Russia would have joined NATO and had a more friendly relationship with the West - they would have considered it at the very least. I don't know if those sentiments are really true, but if it is true, then that is very interesting. What are your thoughts on that? In any case, I'm glad Tucker Carlson did the interview, since it promotes considering all perspectives and the free flow of information. (And a lot of Western media has restricted the perspective they talk about to only the Western perspective). I doubt that he was paid by the Kremlin to do the interview, because Tucker Carlson is already a very popular tv broadcaster and this interview has been immensely popular. Other media companies have piggy-backed off it and published stories and videos of their own. There are countless reaction videos and blogs about it. Millions have watched it. I'm sure Tucker has gained many subscribers from it. It's lucrative enough for him as is, so he wouldn't need to be paid by the Kremlin to do it.
From Finland, Natasha your video and words are very much valued and appreciated.
I met Politkovskaya when she came to London for a Press and Human Rights event. She was electric and an uncelebrated intellectual. She didn't take herself seriously and she wasn't afraid of Putin or death. She knew Putin personally according to her testimony, and she was willing to write the truths about the wars in Chechnya!
Very sad to hear about Navalny's death. Sad day for Russia.
From a Western perspective, the Carlson interview makes me feel as thought we're living in the Twilight Zone. I can only imagine what it feels like in Russia. And now Nalvany is gone. The US is slipping ever closer to despotism. I hope we can salvage what's left of our world once these megalomaniacs are gone. Thanks for the video. Stay safe.
Thank you for uploading this special filming operation.
This is my first time watching one of your videos and I must say, you are wise beyond your years.
Your diagnosis is spot on. You're a genuine person. Straight to the point without manipulation. You are a true human. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing your viewpoint as someone who grew up in Russia. Your understanding of american and russian cultures is really informative. As a viewer trying to understand what some of these events you cover mean, this helps alot.
I don't know how things goin in Russia. I don't live there and I can't say my point of view. But I can say, If you don't want Putin in charge, you have to chose somebody who is truly not connected with western countries. The west wants your oil, your gas, your metal, your territory. It's vital, because Russia it's a huge "container" of materials necessary for western capitalism and finance sector, for the future. It's not about buying goods from Russia, western political class want to decide everything, how much to extract, price, quantity to sell, etc. And secondly, having Russia as military allied (as a military colony like Europe) is important against the next western enemy. China. I'm not going to say Putin is the right one, there will be always room for improvements. I'm just saying, be aware. Don't barter your land for mc donalds, Iphones and "be free" to type something on Facebook. Western political class is always cruel with colonies!
I truly appreciate the opinion of an intelligent young Russian. Thank you for sharing your thought, Natasha.
Tuck : "Poot, why you start Special Military Operation?" Poot : "Let me tell you about history... I will start in the year 500,000,000 BC, there was a dinosaur"
While Tucker is doing some grocery shopping in russia, russian citizens who are mourning Navalny's death are getting arrested by the dozens...
I'm glad that Carlson let Putin talk. The non-answers, the rationalizations, the half truths, the gaslighting, the outright lies; it was classic. I'm surprised that Carlson bought into the displays about the economy, etc., but at least he didn't editorialize during the interview. Navalny's death so soon after the interview just made the mockery complete.