Russian satire or Russian propaganda?

On her weekly news and opinion program Гла́вное , (Glavnoye, "The Essentials") Nika Strizhak on St. Petersburg based Channel Five, owned by Russia's National Media Group, ran a bizarre segment that has created quite a stir. After the usual litany of complaints about American and European aggression, the program turns its sights on a remark by Poland's Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna that European leaders should gather in Poland this May to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, saying "it's not natural that tributes marking the end of the war should be organized where the war began," alluding to Stalin's complicity with Hitler in carving Poland up. In Russia, this anniversary is Victory Day, commemorating what the Russians call "The Great Patriotic War." It is among the most sacred holidays of the former Soviet Union's state religion, and the suggestion was, perhaps rightly, interpreted as a deliberate insult to Russia.

"It's a very intriguing idea to move our Victory Day parade to London or Berlin. We could certainly display our tanks in Warsaw and hold a large, European tour," she said, seguing to the "humorous" piece in question:



Direct Llink.

Full program:



Here are annotated highlights for those unable to view the video:



Russian tanks rolling West through the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin. Fear of Russian expansion into Europe through Germany was the reason why NATO was founded. A "military tour" is a typical bit of Kremlin euphemism.



The narrator emphasizes how easily Poland could be taken, allowing the troops ample time for recreation. This is something of a vicious taunt; Poland fell rapidly in 1938 not because of a lack of courage or resolve, but due to a failure of its allies to come to its aid. (Stalin would later arrange for the murder of Poland's officer corps.) The fountain is a reference to Neptune's Fountain, a Gdansk landmark.





The narrator reminds the viewer that Russia had military bases in East Germany, the DDR. Russia seems to feel it was somehow betrayed when the people of East Germany turned away from Russia to rejoin the West and NATO.



Prague, Vilnius, Tallin and Riga are all capitals of former SSRs or Russian satellites. This image captures exactly why these countries wanted to join NATO. Helsinki is the capital of Finland, which historically has sometimes been vassal to the Russian Empire and has usually been loosely in Russia's orbit.



A reminder that Russia, as the Soviet Union, conquered much of Central Europe 70 years ago.



This image is a graphic reminder that Britain, which once had a maritime empire that spanned the globe, has been reducing the size of its navy while Russia has been expanding its.



A Soviet style missile parade....



...and an ironic reminder that Russia is still a nuclear power.

Whereas western media have displayed shock,some Russians and Russian sympathizers have claimed that it is "satire." Here is a definition of satire:

satire
[sat-ahyuh r]

noun

1.the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.

2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.

dictionary.reference.com...

Does this "humorous" animation meet the definition of satire? Whose vice or folly is it exposing? Is it deriding Putin for his use of military force against his neighbors? Or is it propaganda, intended to lessen, dehumanize and threaten Putin's perceived enemies?

propaganda

[prop-uh-gan-duh]

1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

2. the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.

dictionary.reference.com...

It seems clear to me that this piece is intended not only as propaganda, but also a threat veiled with humor: "If you snub me by not coming to my party, I will crush you." Any thoughts?

The Nations facing off are preparing their populations for another big war....This psywar now being perpetrated upon the world will lead to the next large military confrontation.....
Putin, and Obama take their orders from the same Global bankers.....
Nobody is safe from their ongoing struggle to maintain power.....

a reply to: stirling

This video shows that Putin is certainly preparing his country for war. I disagree with you about "bankers" pulling the strings, but as this is a conspiracy site I won't bother to argue with you about that one.

a reply to: DJW001

Putin, a lowly Colonel in the FSB.....now has a personal fortune of over forty billion ......
He joined the list of oligarchs a while back......
There is no fortune that doesn't bow to the bankers my friend......

Geez let the show start already I've got my rainy day funds put away. I hear Peru is nice this time of year.

The other thread didn't get the desired attention so you are trying it again. Oh and before you say you are trying to find out if it is propaganda or satire therefore it is a different thread don't bother, you are thoroughly transparent.

PS It was satire

PPS I called it in the other thread when I said you would latch on to this.

PPPS Other thread.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: DJW001

Do you speak Russian?

originally posted by: sosobad
The other thread didn't get the desired attention so you are trying it again. Oh and before you say you are trying to find out if it is propaganda or satire therefore it is a different thread don't bother, you are thoroughly transparent.

PS It was satire

PPS I called it in the other thread when I said you would latch to this.

Other thread.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

This thread is in "Deconstructing Disinformation." If you believe that the piece is satire, what do you believe is the target of the satire?

originally posted by: IPFreely101
a reply to: DJW001

Do you speak Russian?

Follow my link to the other thread where you'll see that it was in fact satire. You are new here welcome, I seen your introduction, and you'll get used to this kind of thing.

originally posted by: stirling
a reply to: DJW001

Putin, a lowly Colonel in the FSB.....now has a personal fortune of over forty billion ......
He joined the list of oligarchs a while back......
There is no fortune that doesn't bow to the bankers my friend......

In Russia, Putin controls the bankers.

originally posted by: sosobad

originally posted by: IPFreely101
a reply to: DJW001

Do you speak Russian?

Follow my link to the other thread where you'll see that it was in fact satire. You are new here welcome, I seen your introduction, and you'll get used to this kind of thing.

Please read the definition of satire and answer whether or not it meets that definition.

a reply to: DJW001

So do you speak Russian?

a reply to: DJW001

Don't worry I fully understand what satire is, unlike some

originally posted by: IPFreely101
a reply to: DJW001

So do you speak Russian?

I can read Russian with the help of a dictionary. For spoken Russian I rely on subtitles. In this case, the images speak for themselves. If this is satire, who is the target of the satire? Putin? Is it a critique of Putin's Ukraine "policy," or is it militaristic propaganda?

originally posted by: sosobad
a reply to: DJW001

Don't worry I fully understand what satire is, unlike some

Then who is the target of this supposed satire?

a reply to: DJW001

I can read Russian with the help of a dictionary. For spoken Russian I rely on subtitles.

So who provided the screenshots with the translations? There was no Russian text in them(in most of them) nor Russian subtitles.

How did you do that?

a reply to: DJW001

It is the remarks of Minister Grzegorz Schetyna and the demonizing of Russia from the west that was the butt of the joke but you can't see anything Russian these days with frothing at the mouth in an climax of Russian hate. There mere fact that the other thread got no reaction should be enough to show even a chimpanzee that this subject is garbage.
Enjoy this one as I'm done on the subject and only stopped by because you goaded me in the other thread, looks like this thread is getting the attention it deserves so far.

originally posted by: IPFreely101
a reply to: DJW001

I can read Russian with the help of a dictionary. For spoken Russian I rely on subtitles.

So who provided the screenshots with the translations? There was no Russian text in them(in most of them) nor Russian subtitles.

How did you do that?

I didn't do that, the person who posted the video on the top did. The video may be blocked in your region.

a reply to: DJW001

I didn't do that, the person who posted the video on the top did. The video may be blocked in your region.

Really, can you post the link?

This link just takes me to the YT homepage.

a reply to: sosobad

It is the remarks of Minister Grzegorz Schetyna and the demonizing of Russia from the west that was the butt of the joke

So are we to believe that Russia is incapable of carrying out an offensive against NATO?