Jon Stewart: ‘This F*cking Russia Thing’ Has ‘Echoes’ of a World War

Jon Stewart argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting out of “weakness” rather than strength, while warning the invasion of Ukraine has “echoes” of a world war.

Thursday’s The Problem With Jon Stewart podcast tackled Russia’s “full-scale invasion” of Ukraine. The conflict erupted into a full blown international crisis as casualty reports pour in, along with photos and videos of clashes between Russian troops and Ukrainians.

Stewart criticized Fox News and former President Donald Trump for their admiration of Putin, before noting that Putin’s invasion is borne out of the “humiliation” he feels the Russia empire suffered by losing Ukraine.

He compared the situation to World War II, saying “when a country feels humiliated, it’s really easy to drum up that nationalistic fervor.”

Stewart added that Putin’s invasion is the result of weakness, not power.

“You don’t make this move unless you’re trying to salvage yourself,” he said. “This is a move that you make when you feel broken, not when you feel powerful.”

On the notion that Putin is attacking Ukraine to cement his political legacy, Stewart predicted that the Russian president won’t be remembered for re-establishing the empire, but for destabilizing the world and forcing his people to “pay an enormous price” for it.

“This fucking Russia thing, boy does it have echoes on it of a world war,” Stewart concluded. “I’ve never seen, in the modern era, a country do this.”

Watch above, via Apple TV.