The moderator of the Russian public television channel Rossiya is desperately trying to question the statements of military expert Mikhail Chodarenok. In line with Russian war propaganda, she wants to paint a positive picture of the war in Ukraine.
But the ex-colonel is not deterred by provocative questions during the 60-minute talk show: “The situation for us is going from bad to worse,” he says surprisingly. He also expressed concern about the geopolitical isolation of his country. For six minutes, he more or less freely analyzes the war situation, as shown in a video clip translated and shared on Twitter by BBC journalist Steve Rosenberg.
Military expert Chodarenok even goes so far as to call Russian reporting fake. There are reports of psychological breakdowns and a crisis state of mind in the Ukrainian military, he said. “To say the least: it’s not true.” There are isolated cases, but on the whole the Ukrainian people are ready to “shed blood” in defense of their country.
According to the military expert, Ukraine’s combat readiness cannot be discussed. The decisive question is whether the soldiers can also be equipped with modern weapons. This can be expected from the support of the United States and Europe.
“In our strategic considerations, we have to take into account that the situation is obviously getting worse for us,” he said. Such statements are particularly noteworthy given that criticism of Kremlin policy and the Russian war can lead to prison sentences.
[Alle aktuellen Nachrichten zum russischen Angriff auf die Ukraine bekommen Sie mit der Tagesspiegel-App live auf ihr Handy. Hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen.]
The fact that Ukrainian soldiers were not professionally recruited cannot change Russia’s strategically poor position, the expert said after the moderator’s intervention. It is not the military contract that decides the professionalism of the armed forces, but the training and the will to defend. “The desire to defend the homeland is very strong in Ukraine,” Khodarenok said undeterred.
A presenter broadcasts Russian propaganda
“The most important thing is to remain realistic from a political and military point of view”, explains the military expert. If you don’t, sooner or later reality will hit you. “The biggest problem is that we are in complete geopolitical isolation,” says Khodarenok. “The whole world is against us, even if we don’t want to admit it.” The support from China and India is not unconditional either.
The presenter then asks provocatively: “Can we wish for a friendship with London? After all that has been said and done?” Khodarenok seems to have deliberately avoided direct criticism of the Kremlin, but despite these objections, he remains faithful to his position: “If a coalition of 42 countries is against us and our military resources are limited, then it’s not normal. We have to get out of this one way or another.”
Finally, the host tries to make a counter-position in line with Russian propaganda: “Russia’s existence is at stake. Giving up is not an option. We have to go all the way and we will win. »
A military expert once criticized the war
This is not the first time that Khodarenok has criticized the war in Ukraine. In February, he published an unusually critical column in a Russian weekly warning of an invasion of Ukraine. “There will be no blitzkrieg in Ukraine,” he wrote, referring to their willingness to fight.
A week ago, during a television appearance, he expressed his skepticism when asked about the effectiveness of a mobilization. Russia will not have any new tanks, planes or ships until the end of the year, he said. In turn, on his Telegram channel, Khodarenok praised the efficiency of the Russian army, as reported by The New York Times. In a message, he agrees with the propaganda statement that Russia wants to rid Ukraine of Nazis.
But why is the pundit still allowed to appear on state television after repeated criticism? The American Journalist Julia Davis suspects on Twitterthat Khodarenok’s statements in no way harm the Russian government. “On the contrary, they help lower expectations as other experts promise quick and easy wins,” she writes.