‘This Is Serious’ — Putin’s Mouthpieces Scold Western Sanctions-Makers

New US measures aimed at the Russian economy have caused more than the usual rage among Kremlin propagandists.

The latest round of US sanctions against Russia landed hard, with a markedly different reaction from the Kremlin’s top propagandists. In the past, jolly proponents of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine scoffed at Western methods designed to punish Russia for its mindless massacres next door.

They’re not laughing now.

The bombastic state TV host and mouthpiece-in-chief Vladimir Solovyov appeared angrier than usual following the June 12 decision by the US Treasury Department.

During his morning show, Full Contact, the host said: “Of course, it’s interesting that yesterday, on Russia Day, Americans imposed another set of sanctions. If we didn’t use the term ‘sanctions from hell’ until now, perhaps it’s time to do it now, every time we talk about this — not because these sanctions are so heavy, but because those who are imposing them are total devils! They are hell!” Solovyov criticized Russia’s Central Bank, alleging they were ill-prepared for the onslaught of the latest Western restrictions. 

Back on air for his The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov show later that day, the host’s mood had not improved. Sighing and looking down, Solovyov said: “Our country is surrounded by enemies . . . We don’t have the luxury of relaxing. We understand that we are facing off with a systematic enemy. We shouldn’t believe any of their assurances. Their father is Satan, which is why lying is their weapon.”

Solovyov explained the reason for his dismay: “These sanctions they imposed yesterday are serious . . . A war is underway, and they are fighting against us in a very serious manner.” Solovyov opined that Russia should be able to produce what it needs, instead of relying on imports — either covertly or openly. He then contradicted himself somewhat by surmising that these capabilities are scarce or non-existent in many key areas. 

That, and the underlying state of the Russian economy probably explain his tirades. The sweeping new US measures singled out the Moscow Exchange, Russia’s main financial trading platform, as helping Russians “profit from the Kremlin’s war machine.” It broadened the risk of secondary sanctions for any foreign financial institution doing business with Moscow’s military-industrial complex. This forced the Moscow Exchange to halt dollar and euro transactions. 

Stocks initially plummeted, but later recovered. Russian economists warned that the new limitations would significantly impact the cost of doing business for Russia’s economy, causing inflation to worsen.

The Kremlin is well-aware of the impact Russia’s war machine has on the country’s suffering economy, prompting tax increases that have been eagerly promoted by Putin’s mouthpieces well in advance of their adoption into law. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov claimed that Russians themselves had demanded a tax hike. As usual, propagandists had been  tasked with laying the groundwork  for the unpopular measures contemplated by the government.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, called on Russians to retaliate for the latest US sanctions by looking for vulnerabilities and inflicting “maximum harm” on Western societies and infrastructure. Quoting biblical verses from Leviticus, Medvedev demanded revenge, exclaiming, “Quid pro quo! Tit for tat! Fracture for fracture, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!”

Right on cue, another rally demanding nuclear strikes against Washington paraded through the streets of Moscow. It’s easy to conclude that these protests lack authenticity since unlike genuine demonstrations, these recurring marches of nuclear enthusiasts are never interrupted by the authorities. Likewise, nuclear rhetoric from popular talking heads neatly fits in with the Kremlin’s agenda of terrorizing the West to deter it from aiding Ukraine and imposing additional costs against Russia. It also serves to portray Putin as a reasonable leader, when compared with deranged state TV propagandists demanding nuclear strikes.

Back on The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, political scientist Dmitry Kulikov exclaimed: “For us, this is the time of absolute crystal clarity. Once again, they’ve come to kill us and to rob us! Once again, the Western world has come to kill and to rob us!”

He predicted: “According to their plan, those on our territory who survive all this, will be forced through hunger to go and fight against China. The ones who survive here will be forced to fight against China for a piece of bread!”

In these trying days, state TV propagandists comfort themselves with the thought of Donald Trump’s possible return to the White House. Rattling off the list of his potential foreign policy advisors, they’re comforted by the thought that most would treat China — and not Russia — as America’s biggest threat, while those who disagree with this assessment would nonetheless fall in line to remain in Trump’s favor, thus giving Russia a much-desired reprieve.

Julia Davis is a columnist for The Daily Beast and the creator of the Russian Media Monitor. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, and Women In Film.

Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position or views of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis.