(MOSCOW) – A review of broadcast archives from Russian state television reveals a stark transformation in Kremlin approved rhetoric regarding the invasion of Ukraine. The narrative has evolved from confident predictions of a 48 hour victory to calls for mass extermination and assertions that the conflict is now a “holy war” essential for the survival of humanity.
In the period immediately preceding and following the full scale invasion, pundits on state controlled channels expressed absolute certainty regarding a rapid military success. Commentators dismissed the sovereignty of Ukraine, suggesting the country could be defeated in “two days” and questioning the need to even view it as a contest. Discussions centered on the historical concept that “great empires” are created solely through force. One speaker argued that thirty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the only option was to “beat Ukraine,” dismissing diplomatic solutions.
The prevailing sentiment in Moscow was that Ukrainian cities such as Kharkiv and Odesa would not offer resistance. Televised experts claimed that the “absolute majority” of Ukrainian residents were pro Russian. They predicted that the Russian army would be met with “bread and salt” and flowers as “liberators.” Speakers scoffed at the influence of the United States, referring to it as “dirty America” and insisting it held no authority over Moscow. Assertions were made that Kyiv would not be defended and that the territory would inevitably return to the Russian orbit.
As the war dragged on and Ukrainian resistance halted the Russian advance, the rhetoric on state airwaves shifted dramatically toward calls for genocide. Pundits began calculating the number of Ukrainians who needed to be “denazified” or destroyed. One commentator explicitly stated that two million people, or five percent of the population deemed “incurable,” should be killed. This escalated to statements that Russia should “kill one million, five million” or exterminate everyone if necessary.
The justification for this violence took on a paradoxical tone, with speakers claiming they must kill not out of hatred, but out of “love for their own children” to ensure survival. Suggestions included destroying the Kharkiv region entirely “as punishment” and wiping it clean until nothing remained. Regarding the Ukrainian capital, formerly referred to as the “mother of Russian cities,” pundits argued it should be reduced to ruins provided the Russian flag stood atop the rubble.
In the most recent phase of rhetoric, the conflict has been reframed in strictly religious and apocalyptic terms. Speakers have characterised Ukrainians as “demons” and the war as a “holy jihad.” The Russian dictator’s supporters now claim that Russia is the “weapon of God” and his “punishing right hand.” The narrative posits that if Russia does not achieve victory, the entire world will disappear. This messianic tone concludes with the assertion that the war must continue for as long as necessary, even if it exceeds the lifespans of the current generation, because without a Russian victory, humanity itself will cease to exist.
