The latest propaganda for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin dropped this weekend in none other than Sochi, Russia, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics. The Russian dictator squared off against retired NHL players in a celebrity All-Star ice hockey game on Saturday that yielded a predictable result: Putin won.
Featured on a line alongside Pavel Bure, one of the greatest goal scorers in NHL history, and former Colorado Avalanche ace Valeri Kamensky, the 62-year-old Putin scored eight goals. His team won 18 to 6.
While both the play and the outcome are laughable, it shows the degree to which the Russians will go to advance both Pro-Russian and Pro-Putin propaganda. American defense planners have taken note of a recent uptick in Russian propaganda – fake or otherwise – in order to better defend against blatant lies turning into accepted fact. Putin also uses the propaganda to legitimize his personal rule over the country and retain control of key backers.
Here are some of the strange highlights.
