Just another surreal moment on KremlinTV, the host explaining that if he commented - either for or against the announced retreat in Kherson in Ukraine- he could face prosecution under Russian law.
Source: Huete (Austria)
Presenter Andrei Norkin recently made a remarkable appearance on Russian TV. In a 70-second excerpt circulating on Twitter, the well-known anchor refuses to comment on the current situation of Russian forces in Ukraine. Norkin justifies his move by not wanting to go to jail. He explains matter-of-factly and calmly that otherwise he faces imprisonment.
The backdrop to the bizarre scenery is the announced withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson. In the short clip, which was also shared by former Ukrainian Ambassador to Ukraine Olexander Scherba, Norkin says the following:
"I won't say anything"
"Now if you expect me to explain what I think, then...I won't say anything. But I will also explain why. If I support the decision and say that the Ministry of Defense is doing the right thing in leaving Kherson, then I publicly call for violating Russian territorial integrity". Russian propaganda aims to consider the conquered territories in Ukraine as Russian territory, ed. Red. This offense, Norkin quotes the relevant paragraph of the law, would mean "several years in prison".
But the moderator sees himself in a dilemma. "And if I don't support the decision and believe that the Defense Ministry did wrong to leave Kherson, then I would publicly discredit the armed forces. That would violate the same law, but a different article. The punishment is similar.
He doesn't want to go to jail, the anchor said. "So now we're going to look at a post and then I'll hand it over to our esteemed experts," Norkin concludes.
