Arnold Schwarzenegger sends message to Putin
<p dir="ltr">Arnold Schwarzenegger <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/russia-ukraine-war-arnold-schwarzenegger-makes-direct-plea-to-putin-on-ukraine-invasion/GH3BSFAAWV6EYOS7FG75UANVZE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has sent</a> out a message aimed at Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian people about the invasion of Ukraine, calling on the people to listen to him as a “long-time friend” as he sheds light on the “truth”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The 74-year-old shared a video on social media, in which he described his love for Russia and its people and harsh criticisms of Putin and the Kremlin.</p>
<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-08db5796-7fff-9587-dea0-06e634334a1a"></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">“To President Putin, I say, you started this war. You are leading this war. You can stop this war,” Schwarzenegger said in the clip.</p>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbMXaQRltOt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
<div style="padding: 16px;">
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div>
<div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div>
<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div>
</div>
<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div>
<div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div>
<div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div>
</div>
<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbMXaQRltOt/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Arnold Schwarzenegger (@schwarzenegger)</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">He began by saying he was sharing his message through “various different channels” to reach the Russian people, including those serving in Ukraine.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I’m speaking to you today because there are things going on in the world that are being kept from you, terrible things you should know about,” Schwarzenegger began the clip.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In the nine-minute clip, the <em>Terminator </em>star spoke of his Russian hero, weightlifter Yury Vlasov, and how meeting him sparked his long-held friendship with the Russian people.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Ever since I was 14 years old I’ve had nothing but affection and respect for the people of Russia,” he continued.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7417a1c5-7fff-b2cc-e32c-eed57545005f"></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">“The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me.”</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/arnie-russia1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Arnold Schwarzenegger has visited Russia numerous times over the years, including visiting Moscow in 1996 (pictured). Image: Getty Images</em></p>
<p dir="ltr">Schwarzenegger went on to say it was these feelings that made him speak out and want to tell the people the truth about the war in Ukraine.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“No one likes to hear something critical about their government, I understand that, but as a longtime friend of the Russian people, I hope that you will hear what I have to say,” he said, adding that he was speaking with the same “heartfelt concern” he used in a message to the American people following the January 6 insurrection attempt.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I know that your government has told you that this is a war to denazify Ukraine. Denazify Ukraine? This is not true!</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Ukraine is a country with a Jewish president, a Jewish president I might add, whose father’s three brothers were all murdered by the Nazis.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“You see, Ukraine did not start this war. Neither did the nationalists or Nazis. Those in power in the Kremlin started the war. This is not the Russian people’s war.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“As a matter of fact … what you should know is that 141 nations at the UN voted that Russia was the aggressor.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“They called for it to remove its troops immediately. Only four countries in the entire world voted with Russia. This is a fact.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Schwarzenegger spoke about how Russian artillery and bombs have destroyed “whole city blocks”, including hospitals, and of the three million refugees who have fled the country.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It is a humanitarian crisis,” he said. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“Because of its brutality, Russia is now isolated from the society of nations. You’re also not being told the truth about the consequences of this war on Russia itself.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I regret to tell you that thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“They have been caught between Ukrainians fighting for their homeland and the Russian leadership fighting for conquest.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">He said that both the citizens and soldiers had been lied to by the government, and that the wildly different things they have been told - from going to fight Nazis to particpating in training exercises - were all false.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He then questioned the Russian government’s willingness to sacrifice soldiers for “your own ambitions”, and urged Russians listening to help him spread the truth.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Let your fellow Russians know the human catastrophe that is happening in Ukraine,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Schwarzenegger’s message came as Ukrainian cities continued to be bombed, with the capital Kyiv being the target of missiles early on Thursday morning.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The southern city of Mariupol was also the target of heavy attack, with city officials estimating at least 2400 people had died as a result.</p>
<p dir="ltr">According to US authorities, an estimated 28,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded during the three-week invasion.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b7521013-7fff-d307-95ca-d5be4c8e23a0"></span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @schwarzenegger (Instagram)</em></p>
