Actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, 74, made an appeal for an end to the war in Ukraine in a video posted on his social media. He also sent a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin: “You started this war. You are leading this war. You can stop this war.”
The actor begins his account by referring to “dear Russian friends and Russian soldiers serving in Ukraine”. According to him, “there are things that are happening in the world that have been hidden from you, terrible things that you should know about.”
Subsequently, Schwarzenegger claims that the attacks are illegal and that more than 140 countries have already repudiated the acts. He also recalled that there is a refugee crisis that alarms the world today and that it harms thousands of people.
“The destruction of Russian bombs has so outraged the world that the strongest global economic sanctions ever taken have been imposed on your country. This is not the war to defend Russia like the one your grandfathers or great-grandfathers fought in. This is a war illegal”, he amended.
The actor remembered his father who was wounded in a war and that caused damage for the rest of his life. “Pain from a broken back, pain from the shrapnel that always reminded him of those terrible years, and pain from the guilt he felt.”
So he sent a message to the Russian soldiers. “To the Russian soldiers listening to this broadcast: you know a lot of the truth I am speaking. You have seen it with your own eyes. I don’t want you to be broken like my father was,” he said.
The actor repudiated the attacks, especially on schools, homes and hospitals, and recalled that many Russians have deep connections with Ukrainians and that, therefore, every bullet fired can hit a brother.
At the end of the statement, Arnold turned to Russians who are against the war and protesting in the country. “The world saw your courage. We know that you suffered the consequences of your courage. You were arrested, you were put in jail and you were beaten. You are my new heroes”, he concluded.
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