This article was originally published in Danish on April 8, 2022.

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It is undeniable that these days I view not only my fellow countrymen, but the entire so-called Western world with a mixture of wonder and disgust. It is an old truism that people are not as stupid as we think – they are far more stupid. Stupidity consists primarily of not knowing one’s own limits, of believing that one is omniscient. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine cannot be understood without knowledge and analysis – but even in the absence of both, people believe they can allow themselves to have an unassailable opinion about this conflict – based solely on what a heavily controlled press chooses to misinform them about. Significantly, access to Russian media has been pretty much blocked across the board – after all, we wouldn’t want to give people the opportunity to get a slightly different version of the story.

The Greek poet Aeschylus knew 2,500 years ago that truth is the first casualty of war. That was true then – and it is certainly no less true today, when electronic developments have provided unprecedented opportunities to create the reality one desires. Today, war is waged to the highest degree in the media, but true information requires criticism of the various stories that are brought to the public’s attention. This “critical press” apparently no longer exists, partly because the forces that control the press and own the politicians are not interested in actual information, but also largely because people – and this applies to journalists in particular – are completely ignorant because they have never received a real education. They simply do not realize how ignorant and stupid they really are. And then, of course, there is also a good dose of malice!

The Western media completely ignore Russian news channels – they are, after all, supposedly “state-controlled” – and accept without a shred of criticism everything that comes out of Zelensky’s well-oiled propaganda machine, which is no less state-controlled. Zelensky is a Jewish actor, and he knows his craft inside out, I’ll give him that. He played the role of president on Ukrainian television, and he has become so immersed in it that he is now playing it in the real world, where the Jewish oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, one of the most corrupt people in the world, has used his millions to place him on the throne as the president of unfortunate Ukraine. In this role, he is far better at reaching a Western audience than his counterpart, who is, however, hardly as interested in this shaky forum. Russian television channels are aimed more at Russians, and they are accessed in a completely different way – and they are far more critical. The Soviet era taught them to see through thick propaganda, which is why Russian television is far more thorough than Western channels. But I am well aware that they also have a message – yet there are significantly better analyses than in any Western media, and then there are angles and stories that you never hear about in the West. Significantly, there are no Western journalists in Russia – at least no Danish ones.

The products of this Ukrainian propaganda machine are regarded in the West as if Moses had brought them down from Mount Sinai, and they are willingly and confidently peddled by an army of crybabies whose job it is to stir up the emotions of the population – not to feed their intellect. I remember my history teacher’s amazement at how Joseph Goebbels – for the journalists’ information, the propaganda minister in Adolf Hitler’s government, if that name means anything to them – was able to get a packed Sportpalast in Berlin to shout “Yes” to the question “Wollt ihr den totalen Krieg?” after Stalingrad in 1943. Had he lived today, he would have gotten his answer. Manipulation. And Goebbels was a mere amateur compared to today’s opinion makers – in itself a hideous term, the meaning of which one should probably think a little more carefully about. But then, of course, they also have opportunities that Goebbels could not even dream of.

Today, it is the Russians who, from a Western perspective, have become the new Jews. They are fair game, to be hunted all year round. They are denied access to restaurants and shops – even hospitals; their children are bullied at school; they are beaten up on the streets; their shops are vandalized, etc. This is what the press and television directly encourage through the completely one-sided and emotionally charged hate propaganda that is served up daily. There is basically no difference between Der Stürmer and Danish newspapers on this point. All ties with Russia must be severed, economic, commercial, sporting, and cultural. It will not be long before books by Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Pasternak are burned at the stake while the Ukrainian national anthem is sung. Yes, I saw a post on Facebook where a woman called for all Russians to be gassed. She has probably never met a Russian herself, stayed in Russia, or read a Russian book. The number of calls for Putin’s murder is legion. And everything else that Facebook would otherwise delete as “hate speech” is now suddenly perfectly acceptable. Here, as in all other cases, one must try to see who one is actually getting into bed with. When you suddenly find yourself under the same blanket as Zuckerberg, Soros, Klaus Schwab, Blinken, Biden—and Mette Frederiksen, well, then it’s probably time to think twice! Aren’t these the very people that patriotic Danes normally distance themselves from? Should people who otherwise spend 24 hours a day promoting the downfall of European culture and population, and who lie faster than 10 wild horses can run, now suddenly be witnesses to the truth and take an interest in a marginal people like the Ukrainians?

If anyone remembers the Cold War, when there was a real threat from communism, there was absolutely no talk of sanctions, boycotts, or the interruption of cultural, sporting, and economic exchanges. Nor in 1956, when the Soviet Union crushed the uprising in Hungary, in 1961, when the Berlin Wall was erected, or in 1968, when it was Czechoslovakia’s turn. On the contrary, “they” emphasized the importance of strengthening ties with the Soviet Union. Where are all those forces now – and where are the peace movements? You can find the answer indirectly by reading Bent Jensen’s Ulve, får og vogtere (“Wolves, Sheep, and Shepherds.” Note: The book is only available in Danish.). Behind these efforts was the fifth column of communism, which has now disappeared, or rather, has realized that the desired destruction of the nation is best achieved by rallying behind today’s totalitarian woke ideology. After the fall of communism, strengthening ties with Russia is no longer of interest.

Finally, a lack of language skills is of crucial importance here. Very few people know Russian. It is not an easy language to learn, so we don’t bother. Most Western journalists and academics settle for English-language publications, which – naturally – angle their stories from a British, at best, but more often American perspective, and this is then simply transferred directly into Danish, often so directly that the product appears as a clumsy translation. This is clearly seen in the sudden shift to writing the name of Ukraine’s capital as Kyiv, which is a confusing and poor transliteration used in English. Russian has two and Ukrainian has three i sounds, which are difficult enough for foreigners to keep track of. Neither of them has anything to do with the English pronunciation of y. Kiev reproduces it better. The Ukrainian pronunciation can be heard on Wikipedia.

The purpose of all Western restrictions is, of course, to force the Russians to toe the line and submit to US leadership – that is, to allow themselves to be culturally and linguistically wiped out and economically exploited, just as under Boris Yeltsin, who was, typically, the darling of the West. You don’t know Russia and the Russians very well if you think you can achieve that. First of all, Russia cannot be starved. On the contrary, Russia is helping to feed the world’s growing population, partly through agricultural production and partly because a large part of the world’s fertilizer comes from Russia. Then, of course, there is oil and gas, rare earths and minerals, etc. Believe me: Russia really has the upper hand here! Life in the West will become dark, cold, and expensive if Russia is cut off from the global economy. If Putin turns off the gas tap, German industry will grind to a halt and millions will become unemployed. Russian gas cannot be replaced by gas from America, which has to be transported across the Atlantic in a huge fleet of tankers, making it considerably more expensive than Russian gas… What happened to the “climate impact” issue, by the way? No, it is not important, because it is a hoax – but a good tax base for the parasites. But even more importantly, the Russians do not function that way. They do not allow themselves to be threatened – and when there is a threat from outside, they automatically close ranks and rally behind their leadership.

Putin is today the only competent political leader in our part of the world. It is clear that the demented Biden would like to see him out of the way. But what does the West imagine would come in his place? That the prison gates would be opened for Navalny, who would then come out and “save” Russia. That would not happen. Navalny has no program and no supporters. His only goal is to overthrow Putin. He has nothing to put in its place, and he would only be able to usher in a new period of chaos, hardship, and misery. But that is precisely the situation the West wants—that is why the US is financing him. In that situation—which God forbid should arise—I would see a military takeover as the only realistic alternative. I don’t think the West would like that very much!

Countries can, of course, decide for themselves who they want to trade with, but sanctions that involve stealing other countries’ assets and private individuals’ fortunes – without any judgment that these individuals have committed any illegal acts under the laws of the countries concerned – are criminal and should lead to tough countermeasures, and I believe that the world will never be the same again – at least not for many years to come. Hopefully, Russia has learned that the West cannot be trusted in any matter whatsoever. The West has cut itself off from a market of 145,000,000 people, and Russia will develop the technologies that it has previously purchased from the West. This is what happened with food processing when Putin, in response to previous Western sanctions, closed the door to agricultural imports from the EU, which cost Danish pig farmers a great deal of money. Russia can easily manage without Jysk and Ikea, and Carlsberg will have to see if it can sell all that beer somewhere else. Selling off companies in Russia is very bad business today. Nevertheless, the various pension funds that mismanage our pension assets are rushing to sell their Russian securities – to the detriment of pensioners. But while we’re on the subject of beer, it is often impossible to get Russian beer in many restaurants today – most beers are foreign, which is completely unnecessary, as most Russian beers are excellent. The same applies to wine. But under Yeltsin, Russians learned that foreign is always better. Admittedly, communism did not excel in super-good consumer goods, but communism is a thing of the past, which is perhaps worth remembering. When I was about to buy a car, all my friends were stunned that I bought a Lada. It was useless, they said. Well, I know what could be improved on my Lada, but the car is cheap, has excellent space, a large trunk, repairs are inexpensive—and it is solid. It can handle things I would not dare to ask of my Citroën in Denmark—I drive a lot on humble roads that are not always in good condition. And if something finally happens in a remote place, it can be repaired anywhere and with primitive means. I am very happy with my Lada, and one can hope that the Russians will become more aware of the quality of their own products. There is really nothing smart about buying foreign – not even in Denmark!

These restrictions may well turn out to be an advantage for Russia – and a deserved ruin for the West.

Just how ill-conceived these sanctions are is illustrated by a small example of a sanction that does not affect the Russians, but only people like me, and which benefits the Russian treasury. Mastercard has decided that I cannot use my credit card in Russia. With the card, the money would be exchanged for rubles in Denmark at the international exchange rate. The state does not think I should have that advantage when I exchange cash here, because the fall in the ruble’s exchange rate has no real economic basis. Ergo, an exchange rate is set where 30% goes to the state treasury. I lose some money, the state – which wants to cause harm – earns some money, and the Russian population does not care at all. It has its Russian credit cards.

And when we talk about restrictions and sanctions, it is strange that such measures have never been imposed on the US, for example after the American and NATO war of aggression against Serbia, in which Denmark also participated. This war of aggression was allegedly launched to help the Albanians in Kosovo gain their independence – but in reality to promote American financial interests in raw materials. But when the Russians take up arms to defend the Russian minority in Ukraine and possibly secure their secession, well, then it is suddenly something completely different. The Americans killed over 2,000 Serbian civilians in their bombing raids. One of their greatest heroic deeds was to bomb the passenger train between Belgrade and Athens and then later shoot at the rescue workers as they tried to clean up and help the many injured. They also carried out indiscriminate bombing of Belgrade, including residential areas and the Chinese embassy. There were no sanctions, nor were there any when the US – again with the “support” of Denmark – laid Libya in ruins, allowed Gaddafi to be murdered on live television, and opened the floodgates for the masses of Africa to come to Europe. Gaddafi was a colorful character, but he is undoubtedly the Arab leader who has done the most for his people. But what did all this matter to the US? Whose interests were being served here? The only one who benefited was Israel. In the same way, the US destroyed Iraq twice – which was also of no concern to the US. Ultimately, by shamelessly lying about Saddam Hussein’s “weapons of mass destruction,” which did not exist. Yes, Colin Powell even displayed them publicly in a small bottle – but they did not exist. No sanctions, no mass hysteria, nothing. Who can forget the recently deceased Jewish woman Madeleine Albright’s response to a journalist’s question about whether it had been worth boycotting Iraq, given that it had led to the deaths of 500,000 children: “Yes, it was worth it!” The Americans try to defend themselves by saying that 500,000 children did not die – but the crucial point is Albright’s answer. 500,000 dead children was a price worth paying. Against this backdrop, it does not matter whether one child or 500,000 died – or does this only apply in the context of the Holocaust?

It would be going too far to list all of the United States’ crimes against humanity here. The United States has killed millions of civilians in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, etc. It is merely “collateral damage.” And the world has applauded. When the US today calls Putin a war criminal and accuses him of crimes against humanity, it sounds hollow, frankly, coming from the state that wiped out two medium-sized Japanese cities with atomic bombs, killing and maiming an unknown number of people – including people who had not even been conceived yet. This is probably the greatest war crime and crime against humanity ever committed. And to that we can add the targeted bombing of German civilians during World War II, estimated at around one million people. The United States is not a state, it is an organized crime syndicate that has gradually transformed the entire Western world into a brothel, where politicians, business leaders, and media personalities fill the role of call girls. It is from America that we get all the crazy ideas that will inevitably destroy our nations: cancel culture, BLM, whiteness theories, feminism, queer theories, etc., etc., etc. Where America is, we cannot be!

The Hungarian Jew George Soros, who has “earned” his billions by speculating against European currencies—and not by any kind of honest work—says that it is necessary to stop Putin, otherwise he will destroy “our civilization.” Let me say this right away: George Soros’ civilization is not “our civilization.” Soros and his ilk do not really have a civilization, but they possess 80% of the world’s wealth, and this money is largely used to destroy European culture and civilization by promoting immigration and destroying everything that is true, beautiful, and good. Where Soros is, we cannot be!

The Ukrainian Jewish actor Zelensky travels around the world to get the West to start a Third World War, which can only end in nuclear catastrophe, which will also destroy Ukraine and countless millions of Europeans. Yes, it will also wipe out Zelensky’s black bank accounts and the whole swamp of corruption that created him (see the Panama Papers: Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The country is rich, but the population is poor). Where Zelensky is, we cannot be!

All Western politicians fervently want this war so that people will forget their problems. Biden is senile and enjoys the lowest popularity rating any president has had in recent times. His vice president is simply dumb as a door. Boris Johnson is buried in scandals and a failed Brexit, where he sacrificed fishing and created chaos in Northern Ireland. Macron has offended the French people to such an extent that he is unlikely to be re-elected. And Mette Frederiksen has one foot in the grave. They all want a war, and irresponsible politicians in the Baltic countries and Poland are fanning the flames. They just don’t like Russians.

If they succeed, it will be a shame for all the art and beauty that Europe has created over several thousand years. As far as humanity is concerned, it will largely just be a victim of its own stupidity.

Povl H. Riis-Knudsen

Translated with the help of AI