Alcohol consumption has increased in Russia since the Ukraine war. A Russian TV propagandist takes up the topic and starts a curious debate.
Moscow – Im Russian state TV Propagandist Yevgeny Satanovsky takes his insults to the extreme. In his most recent appearance, he lambasted a prominent top politician – and described Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as a “booze”. But that is not how it remains.
On Russian state TV: Lavrov spokeswoman described as an alcoholic
Satanovsky, a frequent guest on Russian state broadcasts, accused Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova of being a “hard-drinking” anti-Semite. He added that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was a “hopeless drunk” in an interview posted on YouTube earlier this week and translated by Russia expert Julia Davis.
Alcohol consumption has apparently increased in Russia since the Ukraine war – appearance on state TV sparks debate
It shouldn’t be news that insults are occasionally uttered on Russian state television. In a few cases, however, a TV appearance sparked an online discussion. Other people joined the debate about alcohol consumption in Russia. Political scientist Konstantin Kalashev says he “clearly” noticed the influence of alcohol in some people and statements. “I don’t know if Zakharova drinks. (…) However, I heard that many people have started drinking and expanding their consciousness,” Kalashev wrote in a Telegram post.
After the TV appearance, readers’ comments also speculated about Sakharova’s alleged alcohol consumption. A reader suspects that Sergei Lavrov’s spokeswoman may have given in to alcohol “out of sadness.” There were also commenters who criticized Satanowski’s behavior: “I think the comments come mostly from men. Why are you insulting a woman?” commented one user, according to the Bavarian Radio.
Losses in the Ukraine War: Alcohol consumption also has an impact on the course of the war
Journalists from the independent Russian exile news platform have already come to the conclusion that alcohol consumption has increased since the Ukraine war Verstka: There is more and more drinking in top Russian offices, writes Vertska in a report from June 2023. “Let’s put it this way: Not everyone in the presidential administration used to start their day with a glass of vodka. Now I know many more people like that, and for some the glass has become a bottle,” a government official told the research network.
An employee of the administration of the Central Russian District reports about a governor who is addicted to alcohol and who has therefore missed Vladimir Putin’s message to the Federal Assembly to which he was invited several times. The British government considers alcohol consumption to be one of the reasons behind the high number of casualties suffered by Russian forces in Ukraine. “Russian commanders likely view widespread alcohol abuse as particularly damaging to combat effectiveness,” said a British Defense Ministry report from April 2023. (bohy)
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