Arnold Schwarzenegger appeals to Russian people to reject Kremlin misinformation

Former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday told the Russian people that they are being fed misinformation about their country’s assault on Ukraine and appealed to President Vladimir Putin to stop the attack.

The Hollywood star said in the nine-minute video on Twitter that the Kremlin was intentionally lying to Russians by saying the invasion was intended to “denazify” Ukraine. Russia describes its actions as a “special operation”.

“Ukraine did not start this war, neither did nationalists or Nazis,” he said, noting that the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is Jewish. “This is not the Russian people’s war.”

Starting with a tale about meeting his hero, the world champion Russian weightlifter Yuri Petrovich Vlasov, in Vienna when he was a 14-year-old, Schwarzenegger went on to explain his deepening affection and admiration for the kindness of the Russian people.

Addressing in turn Russian citizens, troops and the country’s leadership, he said he was speaking with the same “heartfelt concern” with which he spoke to the American people after the 6 January insurrection last year.

Schwarzenegger’s Twitter account has 4.9 million followers – and is one of the 22 followed by the Kremlin’s official account.

Europe’s biggest invasion since the second world war has ravaged Ukrainian cities and sent more than 3 million refugees fleeing to neighboring countries. It is unclear how much people in Russia know about the war after the Kremlin cut access to various media channels and websites.

“I love the Russian people. That’s why I have to tell you the truth. Please watch and share,” Schwarzenegger said in the tweet accompanying his video, which had already amassed more than a quarter-million likes by Thursday lunchtime.

Schwarzenegger asked Russians to spread the word about the “human catastrophe” and told Russian protesters the world is watching.

“The world has seen your bravery. We know you have suffered the consequences of your courage,” he said. “You are my new heroes.“

The 74-year-old Republican, who started as a bodybuilder before reaching worldwide fame in action films, called on Putin to stop the invasion. He said thousands of Russian soldiers had been killed while their leaders had lied to them.

Austria-born Schwarzenegger told the story of how his father, who fought for Germany in the second world war, was left broken by his experiences of the battle of Leningrad, in which he was wounded. He went on to tell Russian soldiers that they have been lied to, and that thousands of them have already been killed.

“Some were told the Ukrainian people would treat them like heroes. Some were told they were simply going on exercises. They didn’t even know they were going to war,” he said.

The video concludes with Schwarzenegger pointing out that 11 million Russians have family connections to Ukraine.

“Every bullet you shoot, you shoot a brother or sister,” he said.

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