A Powerful Message for Russia from Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger has worn many hats in his improbable career: Austrian bodybuilder, Hollywood action- and comedy-film star, Reagan/Bush booster and convention speaker against “economic girly-men,” Kennedy by marriage, two-term Republican governor of California, environmentalist, and Covid restrictionist. He’s . . . back today with a nine-minute video message on Twitter and Facebook speaking directly to the Russian people. It is worth your time. Arnold is popular in Russia for a variety of reasons, and he spends the first three minutes establishing his bona fides as a lover of the country (and bolsters this by referencing his criticisms of the January 6 riot). He even discusses arguing as a teen with his father, who was in the German army that besieged Leningrad. All of that, however, sets up an effort to pierce through Putin’s propaganda on the war. Here’s hoping that, in the grand tradition of samizdat, his message gets heard.