Steven Seagal Makes Bizarre Claims About a Nazi Massacre in Ukraine in Disturbing Russian Propaganda Video
American actor Steven Seagal appeared in a video published by a Russian state-owned news organization in which he embraced the Kremlin’s claims about an attack that killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Seagal, who holds Russian citizenship and is known for his friendship with Vladimir Putin, was featured in a video released by TV ZVEZDA, in which a translation identifies him as a “special representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Relations between Russia and the U.S.” The video was shot at the wreckage of Olenivka prison in east Ukraine, which was destroyed weeks ago after an explosion that left at least 50 people dead.
The Washington Post reported that the prison was being used to hold “hundreds of Ukrainian detainees,” and Ukraine and Russia have been casting blame on each other for its destruction. Russia’s Defense Ministry claims the Ukrainians destroyed the facility with U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), though the Post consulted sources who have said that images from the wreckage are inconsistent with the destructive impact typically seen from HIMARS attacks.
Russian and Ukrainian separatist officials have prevented independent investigators from accessing the site, even as the Ukrainian government has accused Russia of destroying it to cover up their torture and execution of POWs.
In Seagal’s video, the actor runs with the claim that the prison was destroyed by HIMARS, plus Russia’s other claim that the Ukrainians launched missiles at the prison in order to silence “one of the Nazis” held there.
“The interesting thing is that one of the Nazis that was killed is a Nazi that was just starting to talk a lot about Zelensky and Zelensky being responsible for ordering torture and other atrocities that violate not only the Geneva Convention, but also crimes against humanity,” Seagal said. “If Zelensky was being implicated in crimes against humanity, I wonder if that’s why this guy got rocketed and killed…Just wondering.”
The “Nazi” claim coincides with Russia’s repeated, false justification for invading Ukraine to purge the country of Neo-Nazis. Seagal’s remarks about “crimes against humanity” also gloss over the detail that the U.S. formerly charged Russia with war crimes months ago for attacking civilian targets over the course of their invasion.
Watch above.
