LOS ANGELES (KNX) – Arnold Schwarzenegger released a video Thursday, in which he addressed Russia regarding its invasion in Ukraine.
“I’m speaking to you today because there are things that are going on in the world that have been kept from you, terrible things that you should know about,” the actor and former California governor said.
In the video, Schwarzenegger begins by recalling watching and meeting Yuri Petrovich Vlasov at the World Weightlifting Championships in 1961 in Vienna.
He recalled putting a photo of his “hero” in his room when his father told him to take it down and “to find a German or Austrian hero.” This led Schwarzenegger to discuss his father’s hatred of Russians and his father’s time as a Nazi Sergeant during World War II.
Schwarzenegger also discussed his connections to Russia, including his early days in weight training and the filming of “Red Heat.”
“…ever since I was 14 years old, I’ve had nothing but affection and respect for the people of Russia,” Schwarzenegger said. “The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me. That is why I hope you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine and what is happening there.”
Addressing the war, Schwarzenegger discussed how Russia’s government claimed the war was “denazify the Ukraine”, something Schwarzenegger said was not true.
“Ukraine is country with a Jewish president,” he said. “A Jewish president, I might add, whose father’s three brothers were all murdered by the Nazis.”
Schwarzenegger said Ukraine nor nationalists or Nazis started the war.
“Those in power in the Kremlin started this war,” he said. “ This is not the Russian people’s war.”
He also said 141 countries at the U.N. declared the invasion illegal and called for Russia to remove its troops immediately.
“To the Russian soldiers listening to this broadcast, you already know how much of the truth that I have been speaking,” he said. “You have seen it with your own eyes. I don’t want you to be broken like my father.”
He then addressed President Vladimir Putin and those “who hold power in the Kremlin”, saying, “let me just ask you, why would you sacrifice those young men for your own ambitions?”
Watch the full video above.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Related
