Notorious Russian television host Dmitry Kiselyov, famous for his anti-Western rhetoric, has admitted to using a fake document during his weekly Vesti Nedeli news show.
During his show on the Rossia 1 television channel on April 24, Kiselyov displayed the ID of Ukrainian Roman Kolia, an officer in the Galician SS-Volunteer division. In a report on the modern-day relationship between Ukraine and the U.S., Kiselyov compared the U.S. to Nazi Germany, the Meduza news website reported.
In the following week's program, Kiselyov thanked the attentive audience for finding ?€?inaccuracies?€? in the document and said it was fake.
?€?There are plenty of fakes now ?€” from counterfeit paintings of brilliant artists to quotations falsely attributed to famous people. It is no wonder we fell for it,?€? he said.
Kiselyov did not apologize for misleading viewers, but used the situation to once again mention the fact that some Ukrainians fought alongside Nazi Germany and said he is thankful for ?€?such artifacts, even if they are made in our time?€? for ?€?reminding us about true history. ?€?
Last month, Kiselyov showed a trailer of the movie titled the ?€?Browder Effect,?€? which portrays Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny as a paid agent of the British-American investor William Browder.
The oppositioner filed a lawsuit against Kiselyov and the VGTRK media holding over allegations. The hearings are due to take place on May 19.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.