Vladmir Putin and Ivan Urgant (“Giovanni Urganti”)
The gag of the Kremlin and the war of communication
In the drama of Ukraine, the problem of freedom of the press in Russia. The last episode concerns the host of the state TV Ivan Urgant, whose broadcast on state television Pervyj kanal it was suspended after its criticisms of Putin’s army invasion of Ukraine. However, blaming journalists is a clear symptom of the regime’s weakness Vladimir Putinmilitarily tough, but in great difficulty in the communicative challenge against Volodymyr Zelensky, former actor who knows certain mechanisms well.
Who is Ivan Urgant, Russian but Knight of the star of Italy!
43-year-old journalist, actor and musician in our country Ivan Urgant he is best known for his parodies of Italy in the 80s and the Sanremo Festival. We discovered them in the exhilarating New Year’s Eve program “Hello 2020”, all in macaronic Italian with Russian subtitles. A triumph of trash aired at the end of the first year of the pandemic and capable of getting a lot of laughs even in a very difficult situation, from all points of view. The success of the program was such that the Italian ambassador in Moscow last September Pasquale Terracciano bestowed on Urgant the honor of Knight of the Star of Italy! At the end of the year, there was an encore with “Hello 2021”, which has obtained similar acclaim in Italy, our music and our singers are much loved by the Russians and the funny parody of Urgant, who when he plays the part of Italian calls himself Giovanni Urgantihas really hit the mark.
Hello 2021: Giovanni Urganti sings “Music, rhythm and style”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23oJF4zvkN4
The mockery (in Italian) of Putin’s ambitions
Urgant hosts the program on public television “Evening Urgant”, whose (temporary?) suspension raised a loud alarm. Being known the idiosyncrasy of Putin towards the free press and political criticisms, many have linked the sudden stop of the broadcast with the position taken by the conductor, who publicly declared his opposition to the invasion of Ukraine through its social channels. There are also those who remember that, in the course of “Ciao”, there was a strange sketch with a singer who claimed to perform “for the glory of the Great Roman Empire”: a not too veiled reference to the dream of “Great Russia” which would animate Putin’s actions.
The Maneskin guests of “Evening Urgant”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra0CrKr-rb4
In Moscow there is already a list of enemy journalists
From the top of Russian television it is explained that “for the moment Urgant has not been fired”, with what is anything but a clarifying message. Not happy with its strict control over information, Putin’s regime has decided to crack down on it further, intimating a Roskomnadzor (the telecommunications authority), to eliminate the “Fake news” on the Ukrainian invasion and to present the military intervention with a “liberation campaign”. A diktat that would also apply through very high fines, in addition to 50,000 euros, to those who dare to act differently. There is already a real blacklist. Access to the newspapers Ekho Moskvy, InoSMI, Mediazona, New Times, TV Rain, Svobodnaya Pressa, Crimea Realties, Novaya Gazeta, and Leninizdat will be “limited” precisely because of what they have published on the conflict in Ukraine.
The Kremlin also attacks Facebook, which is rebelling
“In war, the first victim is the truth”. The Greek playwright said so Aeschylus, lived from 525 BC to 456 BC, and is still dramatically valid in the era of infodemic and (presumed) unlimited access to any information. In fact, not even social media escapes the censorship of the Kremlin, which it has ordered Facebook to stop its independent fact-checking on the posts of four state-run profiles. Compared to the “nyet” received, access to this platform was also limited. From the headquarters of Zuckerberg they let it be known that “ordinary Russian citizens are using our apps to express themselves and organize themselves to act, we want to continue making their voices heard”. Will they succeed? The feeling is that Russia really intends to exacerbate the pressure on information, to support a position that for many is decidedly unsustainable.
On the media level, Zelensky is winning
Will Putin’s crude communication strategy be successful? While Russia enjoys an overwhelming advantage on the war level, with a ratio of 10 to 1 compared to the Ukrainian army, on the communication level it is widely believed that Zelensky is the one who is cornering his contender, he also wrote about it. Luca Poma on Affaritaliani.it (read his article here). Although from one minute to the next there are rumors about his imminent fall, the Ukrainian president has so far managed to deny them all, appearing in front of the cameras in camouflage suit and resolutely determined not to give up. He rejected Putin’s explicit proposal to withdraw in exchange for a cease-fire which would have spared his life, but would have cost his people their freedom. He resists, despite knowing full well that he is a serious candidate for a very bad end. With all the criticisms that could also be leveled at Ukraine before this war, the courage and dignity shown on the occasion cannot be denied.
The question of the “Ukrainian Nazis” and the reaction of the (Jewish) president
Among the criticisms most frequently leveled at Ukraine is the presence of nourished ones neo-Nazi groups in the ganglia of society and power. The connivance lasts since the Second World War, when well 1.6 million Jews were massacred in Ukraine alone by the militias of Hitler, but with the decisive help of local collaborators. The fact that the perpetrators of these crimes have not been tried has understandably fueled the controversy. However, when Putin talked about the need to invade Ukraine for “Denazify it”, Zelensky effectively reminded him that he was Jewish, as well as the grandson of a colonel who fought the Nazis in the ranks of the Red Army. Not only. At the beginning of his term, the role of prime minister was on the shoulders of Volodymyr Groysman, also Jewish. Therefore Ukraine was the only country (besides Israel) with two Jews in the first two positions of the state. Also for this reason, denying the accusations to the sender was very natural. Both Zelensky and several neutral observers argue that the most similar to Hitler Putin himself, as exemplified by a venomous cartoon published by the official account of the Ukrainian government. The Russian autocrat replies by defining “a gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis” his cross-border counterparts, leaving even his supporters speechless. It is not in question the fact that in the end on the military level it will be Putin who will win, despite having to work harder than expected, but in terms of communication the former KGB official is handling it really badly and this also explains his crackdown. on an already rather appecoronata print.
– Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) February 24, 2022
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