Arnold Schwarzenegger says Russia lies, asks Putin to stop war
In a video posted on Twitter, former California governor says invasion of Ukraine ‘is not the Russian people’s war’
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California in the United States, has released an emotional video addressing the Russian people, arguing they are being fed misinformation about the war in Ukraine, and appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the attack.
Russia has described its actions as a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and “de-Nazify” Ukraine – a claim rejected by Ukraine and its allies as a groundless justification for war, Qazet.az reports.
In the nine-minute video posted on Twitter on Thursday, Schwarzenegger, 74, said the Kremlin was intentionally lying to Russians over the aims of the invasion.
“I’m speaking to you today because there are things that are going on in the world that have been kept from you, terrible things that you should know about. Let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine,” the Hollywood star said.
The Austrian-born former bodybuilding champion, whose film Red Heat was the first US movie filmed in Moscow’s Red Square, spoke of his affection for the Russian people and meeting his idol, Russian weightlifter Yuri Vlasov, when he was 14 years old.
“The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me,” he said. “That is why I hope that you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine.
“I know that your government has told you that this is a war to ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine,” he said. “This is not true. Those in power in the Kremlin started this war. This is not the Russian people’s war.”
Schwarzenegger said “the world has turned against Russia because of its actions in Ukraine – whole city blocks have been flattened by Russian artillery and bombs, including a children’s hospital and a maternity hospital.
“Because of its brutality, Russia is now isolated from the society of nations,” he said, referring to a United Nations General Assembly vote in which 141 nations voted to reprimand Russia for invading Ukraine.