Arnold Schwarzenegger Gave A Message To The Russian People That Many Are Deeming Wholesome And Necessary

Arnold Schwarzenegger, notable strongman, actor and "Governator," released a message for the Russian people on Twitter this morning giving his take on the Ukrainian conflict. As it's spread to other platforms like Reddit today, people are deeming it both wholesome and necessary as the viral video trends across the web.

I love the Russian people. That is why I have to tell you the truth. Please watch and share. pic.twitter.com/6gyVRhgpFV

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 17, 2022

Tweeted by Schwarzenegger this morning but made in association with Attn, the video starts with him addressing the Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. He emphasizes to this audience that there is information being kept from them, which he is there to alleviate.

He first speaks on his childhood hero, a Russian strongman named Yuri Petrovich Vlasov. When Schwarzenegger was 14-years-old, he saw him lift a world-record 200 kilograms over his head, and Schwarzenegger used this personal story to emphasize his love for the Russian people and to prove a point about world peace.

He went on to cite the January 6th storming of the U.S. Capitol as a defining moment in his public, political opinions, reminiscing about when he felt moved enough to speak on that event. Now, he's doing the same for the Russia-Ukraine crisis, directly stating, "Those in power at the Kremlin started this war. This is not the Russian people's war." This quote both labels Vladimir Putin as a perpetrator of propaganda and censorship as well as challenges viewpoints of Westerners who are not differentiating the Russian people from their government.

He goes on to add, "This is not to the war to defend Russia … This is an illegal war. Your lives, your limbs, your futures are being sacrificed for a senseless war condemned by the entire world." It's reiterated at the end of the roughly nine-minute video that the disinformation being spread within Russia is making it hard for its citizens to see the truth. He does recognize, however, "the bravery" of the Russian citizens protesting the war despite arrest and persecution.

Besides posting to Twitter, Schwarzenegger made the video available on Telegram, an app among a dwindling list of platforms not yet banned within Russia. He attached a link to this platform beneath his tweet, knowing that most Russians would not see it via Twitter.

You can and anyone you know also find this on my new Telegram channel if that is easier: https://t.co/sk8vndJqKm

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 17, 2022

The video racked up roughly 3.1 million views in less than 12 hours of being posted. Additionally, it received over 155,000 likes and 5,100 replies, filled with users reacting to the video. They were mostly positive affirmations, applauding Schwarzenegger for his poignant and well-said message. Many Russian citizens in the replies expressed that they knew how important a message from Schwarzenegger was since he's seen as an important and strong masculine figure in their culture.

Your opinion is very important for Russian people, generations were raised on movies with you. I’m standing against the war and working in Navalny’s team. Could you please give us a video commentary with your thoughts about the news?

— Соболь Любовь (@SobolLubov) March 17, 2022

Schwarzenegger, who has a huge following in Russia, talks directly to the Russian people, the Russian soldiers and to Putin directly, urging an end to the war -- including a personal story comparing the soldiers to his father, who was lied to by his government to fight as a Nazi: https://t.co/yCPkjG88au

— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) March 17, 2022

If you are commenting “How could you love Russians” or “The Russian people support this war,” you’re just proving you didn’t watch the video.

— Daniel Ketchell (@ketch) March 17, 2022

This is incredibly powerful.
I’m sobbing.
Wow.

— Jo 🌻 (@JoJoFromJerz) March 17, 2022

Schwarzenegger is a uniquely talented communicator. pic.twitter.com/TPTUPaa2Xb

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) March 17, 2022

Looking and sounding like my President 🥰 pic.twitter.com/2c3gXLoufQ

— Vanessinator 🤖 T-80085 (@ilovejohnkimble) March 17, 2022

The video spread to other platforms like Reddit, surfacing on /r/interestingasfuck and /r/nextfuckinglevel, where both reposts received over 20,000 upvotes in mere hours. Redditors like hobosbindle left comments like, "Arnold is a true gentleman and is such a force for good," earing over 2,000 upvotes.

The question now is if this message will actually reach the Russian people and resonate. If enough citizens are able to view it via Telegram, it could impact their view on the war, though it's anyone's guess as to how effective it'll be in the end.