The circus has left - the commentators remain

State TV of Russia conducts an operation to force brotherhood and friendship

“I really want the Ukrainian people to understand that we are not enemies. We are brothers and friends,” host Vladimir Solovyov said with feeling, finishing on Friday evening a series of special “Sunday Evenings” dedicated to events in Ukraine. A few minutes earlier, journalist Maxim Shevchenko, who seemed like a dove of peace against the background of other “peacekeepers” who gathered at the VV studio for three nights in a row, called for “stopping the wave of Ukrainophobia and insults” in the Russian media space, and Solovyov already suffocated from resentment towards his colleague: “We didn’t even theoretically have any insults.”

“Brothers and friends” must have breathed a sigh of relief - it turns out that the “elder brother” bludgeoned the “younger” lovingly and wished him only good. And do not be offended: between brothers, which does not happen.

Well, yes, it was. Like two days ago. The host's calls to "brutally suppress the rebellion with the use of weapons" and "cauterize the gangrene". Appeals to the legitimately elected President Yanukovych to show political will and use state violence. Political scientist Markov, who stated that fascist gangs carried out a coup d'état in Kyiv, was sympathetic to the "difficult choice" of the Ukrainian president: "Why does he avoid the use of force? Because Viktor Fedorovich is a deeply religious, truly Orthodox person.” The "deeply believing" host retorted sharply, "That doesn't mean faith doesn't have a powerful fist."

State Duma deputy Yarovaya went on a rampage: “This is terrorism in action. This is an organized crime group. Armed extremists are killing civilians. We see the triumph of fascism in Ukraine.”

“Sunday evening” on Thursday, the most tragic day in the history of the Maidan, began with a joyful note. Smiling radiantly, Solovyov “congratulated all Russians on the victory of the figure skater Adelina Sotnikova: “We now have two Olympic champions - Yulia Lipnitskaya and Adelina Sotnikova - two beauties, two clever ones, absolute charms pleased the whole country.” But then a shadow crept over his forehead (oh, what an artist is dying!): “A fairy tale came to Sochi, and death came to Kyiv.” At this point, not only brothers and friends in Kiev, but also locals, their own, involuntarily shuddered at such a transition, and again the “peacekeepers” came forward as a united front: Zhirinovsky, Bortko, Zheleznyak. The "Brothers" were still called radicals, Bandera, militants, armed criminals who needed to be blocked and destroyed. A correspondent in Kyiv, Yevgeny Popov, was confused in his testimony, telling how the unarmed Berkut and defenseless journalists were fired upon by the radicals: “We saw everything, but we were lying on the floor.” They urged Kharkovites to stop the bandit rebellion (“Can you arm yourself?” Solovyov worried. “How far is the Kharkov front ready to go?”) “Every self-respecting man already has a weapon, and we will use it,” the mayor of Kharkov answered with dignity, and Solovyov sincerely wished him strength, courage and good luck: "We are with you."

True, no one sang praises to the “deeply believing” and legally elected president. They called him a political henpecked, a weakling and even an idiot, and somehow it immediately became clear that his song was sung. Well, and "Sunday Evening" on Friday completely buried his "political corpse". The writer of the Russian land Alexander Prokhanov summed up: “Yanukovych committed a national betrayal and is no longer president. There is a brilliant Olympics in Sochi, the second Olympics is in Kyiv, and at this Olympics we did not receive a single medal, even a bronze one.”

The rhetoric regarding the protesters on the Maidan also changed in a surprising way - only deputy Zheleznyak called them "fascist thugs with a swastika", while other participants in the program and correspondents in Kiev again started talking about "activists" and "oppositionists", and Solovyov himself in the final already addressed to brothers and friends.

However, the music did not last long. “The circus left, but the commentators remained,” said Sergey Brilev, commenting on one of the fragments of the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. And how he looked into the water. Having won in Sochi and not even getting a bronze medal in Kiev, Russia, as soon as the holiday of peace and sports was over, again went on the offensive, putting forward its best sons “to fight bloody, holy and right”. Arkady Mamontov started the program "Special Correspondent" without any diplomatic equivocations there: "The ghost of National Socialism, fascism has woken up in Ukraine and is wandering around it, unstoppable by anyone." Alexander Rogatkin's report "Maidan-Field" was replete with chilling details: "The picture is apocalyptic. Cars are burned. Shops and pharmacies are closed. Helpless old people wander in search of food. The future of Ukraine is in the black smoke of burning tires,” sums up Rogatkin, reinforcing the effect with the song “This train is on fire” by Boris Grebenshchikov (I wonder if the author agreed to such an “illustration”?). Those gathered in the studio (Kurginyan, Zyuganov and other no less charming and kind people) demanded that the Russian authorities immediately use force against the "wolves" who slaughter "sheep" (peaceful people), and not allow scumbags and traitors to destroy Ukraine, for "a dark alien force has come that wants to break the age-old ties with Russia."

And the unscheduled program "Politics" on Channel One late on Wednesday evening began with "Holy War". Following spoke the defenders of the Fatherland - Mironov, Zheleznyak. "Bandera scumbags", "fascists", "murderers" - they smashed the enemy. But first, Leonid Gozman broke the harmonious picture. “Come on,” he said, “I was on the Maidan, there are no fascists there, there are no anti-Russian or anti-Semitic speeches. It's all lies."

Deputy Zheleznyak was indignant: "Jew, but you are defending the Nazis." Gozman was quickly silenced by the presenter Pyotr Tolstoy. But a young deputy from Odessa came to the aid of Gozman: “There is no war against the Russians. This is a war against the lawlessness of thieves. People came out with a peaceful protest." The same idea was temperamentally developed by Mikhail Veller. And the unfortunate leader rushed about. Some irresponsible citizens spoiled his song, whom they called into the program solely for the sake of formality - well, it seems like it’s supposed to be in a discussion: to present different opinions. Solovyov and Mamontov long ago abandoned these stupid ceremonies, and they did the right thing: propaganda does not tolerate any deviation from the general line. In war as in war. True, I still really want the Ukrainian people to understand that we are not enemies. We are brothers and friends. Does not understand? Let's make it. “After all, the Russians,” as Tolstoy said at the end of Politika, “do not leave their own people in the war.” The operation to force brotherhood and friendship on state Russian TV continues. Will there be a victory?