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Ariana Baio
Jul 19, 2022
Russian state TV anchor appears to blame Ukrainians for devastation in Mariupol
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Russian state TV appears to have ran a report of a family who benefitted from their son dying in Ukraine because they bought a car with compensation money.
On Monday, Francis Scarr, a journalist BBC Monitoring who translates Russian State TV, shared a video to Twitter featuring a broadcast which claimed a family benefitted from their son dying in Ukraine because they could buy a new car with the compensation money.
"You couldn't make this up," Scarr wrote on Twitter. "Last night Russian state TV ran a report on the unexpected 'benefits' of having your son killed in Ukraine. You can buy a Lada with the compensation given to you by the state!"
The grim segment showed the sad parents of a young man named Alexei who was killed while fighting in Ukraine.
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"In memory of our son we bought a nice new car," the father said pointing to a new white Lada. According to the segment, Alexei wanted a similar white car.
"Its first trip is to the cemetery," the on-text translation of the broadcast reads.
\u201cYou couldn't make this up\n\nLast night Russian state TV ran a report on the unexpected 'benefits' of having your son killed in Ukraine\n\nYou can buy a Lada with the compensation given to you by the state!\u201d— Francis Scarr (@Francis Scarr) 1658143681
People, many from western countries, expressed the shock and disgust over the family's tone toward their son dying. Some even believed the video was satirical. But for people who understand Russian culture, the grieving parents' attitude did not come as a shock.
"At the beginning of the war, Americans said that when too many Russian soldiers were killed in the war, their families would rise up. But what if no one values these soldiers' lives, not even their families?" Julia Loffe wrote.
\u201cPS These stories make total sense. Quite a few parents from the world view their kids as a financial resource. That's absolutely normal. Some sell them into prostitution, others - as a cannon fodder. In modern Russia sending your son to army can be a great investment\u201d— Kamil Galeev (@Kamil Galeev) 1657999204
"I don’t understand why people are so shocked. No, it is not cynicism, thought Russia has it aplenty. And the parents didn’t exchange a son for a car. It’s just a testament to how sad, hopeless small town Russia is. It’s not a bargain, it’s deeply ingrained fatalism and adjustment," John Hopkins University professor Eugene Finkel responded.
Russian state TV has amplified pro-Russian rhetoric surrounding the war they waged to convince Russian citizens the invasion was justified.
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