Lisa Haseldine
Chechen warlord Kadyrov mocks Zelensky in spoof video
A strange video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently circulating online. In it, he sits at his presidential table, dressed in his trademark khaki t-shirt. Staring straight down the camera, he addresses the Ukrainian people: ‘Dear citizens!’
At first glance, it could really be one of Zelensky’s nightly addresses. Except, almost immediately, you notice the meaty disembodied hand gripping him by the left shoulder. With apparent distress, Zelensky continues, announcing the surrender of Ukraine on ‘land, sea and air’. The meaty arm shakes him to get him to spit the words out, committing Ukraine to ‘complete denazification’ within a month of signing.
The video is, of course, a spoof. This becomes clear as ‘Zelensky’ – either a CGI deepfake or else played by an eerily-similar lookalike – shudderingly turns to his left and says: ‘And thirdly, Akhmat is strength.’ The camera pans out to reveal the owner of the meaty hand: none other than the bearded, tracksuit-clad Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov. The clip ends with Zelensky signing the surrender with the letter ‘Z’ – an ironic pun on his name and also the symbol meaning ‘For Victory’ appropriated by supporters of the Ukrainian ‘special operation’.
— Akhmat-pilled (@unrepentanteast) July 4, 2022R. Kadyrov: "In connection with the pushback of Ukrainian forces in Lugansk and the complete liberation of the republic from the Bandera invaders, Zelensky signed an act of unconditional surrender." pic.twitter.com/u4JNIde5tn
As well as starring in the video, the clip appears to be Kadyrov’s own brainchild. But why? Earlier today, Putin claimed victory in the eastern region of Luhansk, bringing him a step closer to winning control of the whole Donbass. Sharing the video on his Telegram channel, Kadyrov jokingly claimed that it was in response to this ‘liberation’ that Zelensky was signing the surrender.
Appealing to his followers, he mockingly implored them not to ‘bombard the video with malicious comments, so as to avoid causing an already frightened person a heart attack’. Giving credit where credit is due, Kadyrov went on to thank YouTube pranksters Vovan and Lexus (whose video pranking British defence secretary Ben Wallace was removed from the streaming site in March) and blogger Max Kamikadze for their contribution.
Notoriously vicious, Kadyrov and his forces have been involved in the invasion of Ukraine nearly from the beginning. Known for exhibiting gross brutality, they have been linked to the war crimes in the village of Bucha, amongst others. To anyone remotely familiar with Kadyrov's devotion to Putin, the video is not funny, but disturbing.
Succeeding his father, Akhmat, to head of the Chechen Republic in 2007 after a rival contender claimed power, Kadyrov was only able to do so with Putin’s explicit intervention. The phrase he forces ‘Zelensky’ to utter – ‘Akmat is strength’ – is part of a long-running campaign to foster a cult of personality around him and his father.
Zelensky, obviously, hasn’t signed any Ukrainian surrenders and really isn't likely to. This video is Kadyrov’s attempt to mock him and the Ukrainian cause, while claiming part of the credit of Putin’s war for himself.