Putin claims Russians living abroad facing persecution; 'West now showing true colours'

In a fresh salvo targeting the west, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western nations of revealing their true colours, tearing off their mask of decency and persecuting Russians in the west. The Russian leaders' remarks come at a time when Kremlin is being attacked in cyberspace and on social media, apart from running an information war. The leader further alleged that the West is also using the fifth column- Russian nationals living abroad, but working against their homeland.

President Putin was addressing via video conference, a 'meeting on socioeconomic support for regions' which had in attendance senior Government officials, plenipotentiary presidential envoys in the federal districts and heads of Russian regions. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted, "President #Putin: In many Western countries, people are subjected to persecution just because they are originally from Russia. In its attempts to “cancel” Russia, the West tore off its mask of decency and began to act crudely showing its true colours."

 

Putin tears into western nations

Furthering his attack, President Putin accused the west of harassing people, who originally hails from Russia and currently lives in the west. "They are being denied medical care, their children are expelled from schools, parents are losing their jobs, and Russian music, culture, and literature are being banned. One cannot help but remember the anti-Semitic Nazi pogroms in Germany in the 1930s, and then pogroms perpetrated by their henchmen in many European countries that joined the Nazi aggression against our country during the Great Patriotic War," Putin said.

Claiming an information war has been unleashed on Russia in cyberspace, Putin said that it even went to the extent of American social media players permitting posts that called for the killing of Russian nationals. The impartiality and independence of the western media have proved to be a mere myth, the Russian leader claimed. "Access to information is being restricted and people are being crammed full of all sorts of fake stories, propaganda, and fabrication, or simply put, snake oil," he further added. 

Putin further noted that even the Olympic principles were trampled upon. They did not hesitate to settle their score through the Paralympic athletes he said. So much for “sport being separate from politics,” he added. Putin also lambasted the Russians living abroad but working against the national interest in these trying times, saying, "Yes, of course, they will back the so-called fifth column, national traitors – those who make money here in our country but live over there, and “live” not in the geographical sense of the word but in their minds, in their servile mentality," 

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