A Christmas propaganda short video shared on Russia’s pro-government Telegram channels shows the country’s air defense system shooting down Santa Claus as he entered Moscow’s airspace.

The video appeared on Russian social media, including Telegram and VK, hours after Russia was accused of being involved in the plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people.

The video, told from the perspective of officers working in Russia’s air defense system, says “we don’t need anything foreign in our skies” as the country continues its war in Ukraine.

Russians have released a propaganda video in which Russian air defense shoots down Santa Claus over Moscow. You couldn’t have picked a worse time to release this video on purpose.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) December 27, 2024 at 12:36 PM

The video shows Santa Claus flying over Moscow and speaking English to Russians. He is then shot down by a rocket that explodes into Christmas fireworks.

Father Frost, a Russian version of Santa Claus dressed in a traditional blue winter coat, is then seen praising the efforts of the Russian military, before wishing the country a happy new year.

The video was released on December 27, two days after Azerbaijan’s intelligence services accused Russia of firing missiles at a civilian airliner, causing it to crash in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people.

The character of a Russian air defense officer, played by Russian actor Dmitry Melnikov, states in the video: “That’s it, the target was destroyed. We don’t need anything foreign in our sky. Happy new year.”