HOW BOUT THAT COW

Russian TV Is Now Using Livestock to Sell Public on Putin’s War

Nevermind that at least eight Ukrainians were killed by Russian forces Tuesday. Russian state TV is hyping a “patriotic” calf and a “Z-shaped sunset” instead.

Russian state television resorted to using “patriotic” livestock and weirdly shaped sunsets on Tuesday to sell Putin’s war to the public, even as at least eight Ukrainians were killed in fresh attacks in Chernihiv. The parallel universe that is Russian propaganda was on full display on state-controlled Rossiya-1, whose service in Pskov aired a brief segment about an “unusual calf” born in the village of Malaya Gogolyovka with something resembling a “V” on its side. The “V” symbol has been used by Russia’s Defense Ministry as a rallying cry of sorts for its aggression against Ukraine, along with the “Z” that has been seen painted on Russian military equipment. The news anchor reassured viewers that the calf—a “patriotic addition” to the farm where he was born—was “peaceful in his own right” and has become a “real celebrity” on social media. So, too, is that oddly shaped sunset that kinda looks like a “Z,” according to Russian state television, which would rather bend itself into knots analyzing random livestock markings than show viewers the real toll of Putin’s war in Ukraine.

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Allison QuinnNews Editor

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