Alexander Rojavin, VP, Counter Foreign Malign Influence
This article is part of the “Fifth Column” series, so named in honor of the term originating in the Spanish Civil War, denoting a group of people sabotaging a nation from within. The Fifth Column is devoted to tracking cross-border narrative pollination through news media, cultural production, and other conduits.
Russian media have been very rude lately. From official Kremlin spokespeople to members of the Duma, from headlines to chyrons on nightly news and talk shows from Moscow, Russian media have been very disrespectful of the 47th president of the United States.
Their disrespect comes in two forms. The first is personal insults against President Trump’s personality, temperament, and cognitive ability. The second is calls for continued Russian aggression against Ukraine and defiance of the United States itself that directly contradict President Trump’s calls for a ceasefire.
And not only is Russia being disrespectful, it is trying to do so in a way that it thinks we can’t see. If you read English-language Russian propaganda sites like RT or Sputnik, you get the impression that Russia is (mostly) sucking up to the president. English-language headlines treat Putin and President Trump as equals who hold the power to remake the world in their own images. “Putin and Trump May ‘Reconfigure’ the World Order’ In Alaska” says one Sputnik headline (although note that Putin comes first in that sentence). “Here’s what Putin and Trump Want from the Ukraine Peace Deal,” says another headline, this time on RT (again, Putin comes first). Other headlines make it seem like President Trump is in control, congratulating him for seeking a ceasefire, overseeing the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and planning action to strengthen the U.S.-Mexican border. English-language Russian sites make it seem like Russia respects and wishes to work with the Trump administration.
This picture is grossly misleading. If you look at what Moscow is saying in Russian, you will realize that the Kremlin is trying to play the United States for a fool.
When you visit Russian-language news sites or tune into Russian television, then the Putin team’s attitude towards the U.S. president becomes abundantly clear. Looking past various seemingly neutral headlines, you will find articles laughing at Trump and mocking his decision-making. Open up a St. Petersburg-based news site, Fontanka.ru, and you’ll see a headline making fun of President Trump for being turned down by the actress Emma Thompson for a date back in the 1990s. Go to Argumenty i Fakty, a leading national news site owned by a Putin ally, and you’ll see an article titled “Control Versus Emotions: Experts Forecast How Putin and Trump’s Meeting Will Go.” The article cites a psychologist who says, “Trump is given to public outbursts, which leads to provocative behavior, shallowness and disparity between his speech and his nonverbal communication. Sharp movements and severe facial expressions speak of his internal tension, uncertainty, and a high degree of anxiety, especially when facing sudden, unexpected questions.”
What ever happened to RT’s President Trump, who is firmly in control of complex geopolitical processes? Yet another article, this one on Gazeta, an outlet controlled by the state-owned Sberbank, explains that the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will actually result in increased regional instability, suggesting that President Trump was disingenuous and malicious in his dealings with both Armenia and Azerbaijan. I guess all the English-language articles praising President Trump’s brokerage of the deal were just for show.
On TV, the talking heads’ treatment of the sitting U.S. president is even more outrageous. Igor’ Korotchenko, a “military expert” and member of the Civilian Council of the Ministry of Defense called President Trump “pompous” and “nervous.” Olga Skabeyeva, a leading Kremlin propagandist called him “a goofy, not quite well-balanced individual.” The list of epithets targeting President Trump (“clown,” “idiot,” “America’s doofus”) goes on and on. And many of the commentators on federal TV, rather than calling him by his title, condescendingly call him “Donny.”
However, if it weren’t bad enough that Russia is disrespecting a sitting U.S. president personally—Russia is trying to delegitimize American sovereignty.
Even as the planned August 15 meeting in Alaska approaches, most Russian talk shows feature multiple commentators, including leading Kremlin propagandists, who call for actions contradicting the core purpose of the Alaska meeting. The aforementioned Korotchenko claimed that a false flag operation against the United States’ Navy is being planned to derail any chance of a ceasefire. He then went on to threaten President Trump, condescendingly saying:
“We call on the U.S. administration and the respected 47th president to be realists. The most important message: Russia would be better for the United States as a partner than as a direct adversary. We’re not threatening anyone, but we are a nuclear nation. Our arsenals allow us to effectively enforce nuclear deterrence, and the United States should treat Russia’s position with respect…we will not grovel or squirm: the special military operation [against Ukraine] will continue irrespective of any promises.”
Wait a second, but isn’t the point of the meeting in Alaska to ensure a ceasefire? So, the war will continue regardless? Duma member Anatoly Vasserman reinforced this position, declaring, “since the special military operation’s goals are irreconcilable with the existence of the terrorist organization called Ukraine, it is completely clear that we have to liquidate [Ukraine] entirely.” Liquidating Ukraine entirely seems fundamentally incompatible with any peace deal. Meanwhile, Vladimir Solovyov, the Kremlin’s chief propagandist, is once again explicitly calling for a nuclear strike: “we will have to conduct a tactical nuclear strike on military infrastructure of any Western nation…including the United States.” And then there are the growing not-quite-jokes among Russian propagandists that Alaska actually belongs to Russia. “ALASKA IS OURS,” reads the billboard in the image at the top of this article. Replace “Alaska” with “Crimea.” Sound familiar?
It’s clear that the neutral tone of English-language Russian outlets is a farce. The Kremlin’s real attitude towards the Trump administration, President Trump himself, and U.S. national security is more than merely dismissive—it is condescending, aggressive, and even mocking. A lasting peace is only achieved when the authority of the peace negotiator is respected. Instead of meeting with the Russians while they laugh openly behind the president’s back, thinking that no one in the United States reads or watches Russian-language media, perhaps the United States should offer Ukraine, whose government and people respect and believe in America and its power, everything needed to end this war. That might be the best way to wipe Putin’s sarcastic sneer off his face.
You don’t need to read or watch russian media outlets to know they treat TACO like a piece of shit. This has been happening openly since he took office, and if the POTUS of the most powerful country in the world allows this, it means he’s terrified of stopping it.
Mafia land has disrespected us since the days of Biden, perhaps even longer, since Obumer. But, I think we have reached new lows under Trump. There are no discussions needed about this because it’s as obvious as a fat zit on the tip of your nose that’s about to burst.