The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has published a video address in which he directly addresses the Russian people, telling them that he is “worthy of the truth” about the invasion of Ukraine.
“The Russian people deserve the truth, you deserve the facts,” Johnson said, speaking in Russian at the beginning of a nearly two-minute address and then returning to English.
To the Russian people, look at what is being done in your name.
You deserve the truth. You deserve the facts. pic.twitter.com/sqDxvGnTnp
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 5, 2022
The British leader said that reports from Ukraine of atrocities committed by Russian troops were “so shocking, so nauseating that it is not disgusting that your government is trying to hide them from you.”
“Your president knows that if you saw what was happening, you would not support his war,” Johnson added, referring to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
He finished the video, which was posted on Twitter and other social networks of the British government, speaking Russian again and saying that Putin was “accused of committing war crimes.”
“But I can’t believe he’s acting on your behalf,” he said.
Johnson’s speech comes at a time of unprecedented repression against dissent and independent journalism in Russia, when the Kremlin tightly controls information about its invasion of Ukraine.
This includes announcing NGOs and the media as “foreign agents” – a label that carries a strong derogatory connotation and involves increased government control.