At first glance, the video, currently doing the rounds on Twitter, appears to be a joke or a parody. But the symbolism and context seem very strange.
Ukrainian Kirill Stremousow (45), a politician close to the Kremlin, fervently performs a patriotic poem. He is the deputy chairman of the Russian government in Kherson. «I see Prague and Warsaw, Budapest and Bucharest. This is the Russian nation. There are so many beautiful places here!” he shouts enthusiastically to the camera. Meanwhile, you’ll see aerial photos of green meadows, wide rivers and major cities in Europe.
Suddenly a tank appears, then you see a flag with a swastika. What seemed like a joke suddenly has morbid symbolism. “Wherever I drive with a tank, it is always my beloved homeland,” Stremousov continues.
«My Russia, I am proud of you»
But this is just the beginning. «I see the Amazon River, I also see crocodiles. It is Russian land, my homeland. Nearby are the pyramids, the Nile is full of water and flows along the Russian bank. My Russia, I am proud of you. I see Washington in the valley, I see Dallas and Texas.” Stremouzov glorifies Russian imperialism and equates Russia with the world. While the politician says that the whole world loves Russians, the Russian national anthem plays in the background.
The poem was written in 1967 by the Russian-speaking Ukrainian Boris Khersonsky (71). At the time, the author was 17 years old, Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union, and the Cold War was in the middle. In the historical context it becomes clear that the poem had a satirical character. In a post circulated via Twitter, Chersonsky is also angry that his poem is now being politicized in the latest video — completely taken out of context.
Stremousow takes the humorous poem bitterly seriously. Should the patriotic poem justify the invasion of Ukraine? And what does the flag do to the swastika in the video? At the end of the absurd performance, the viewer has more questions than before. (jwg)