Vladimir Pozner is a Soviet propagandist, Russian, and American journalist, television and radio host, and author. A seven-time recipient of the TEFI award, he was born on April 1, 1934, in Paris, Third French Republic. He holds triple citizenship — Russian, French, and American.
In June 2019, he was entered into the database of the "Myrotvorets" website for unauthorized entry into Russian-occupied Crimea and participation in Russian propaganda events directed against Ukraine.
In May 2020, in an interview on Dmitry Gordon's YouTube channel, Pozner endorsed the annexation of Crimea and stated that Ukrainians are not a "brotherly" people:
What took place in Ukraine (in early 2014), from the perspective of the Russian leadership, suggested that any day now Ukraine would become a member of NATO. If that were to happen, NATO troops — essentially US troops — would appear on the Soviet... Russian border, excuse me. Crimea, where the Russian Black Sea Naval Fleet is based in Sevastopol, would become a base not for the Black Sea Fleet at all, but, say, for the American Sixth Fleet. From the perspective of these people, this constituted an existential threat. And so, they acted as they did. Is this a violation? Yes, of course it is a violation. But the logic of this violation is understandable to me.
If a survey of the population had been conducted back then on whether they wanted to be part of Russia rather than Ukraine, I have no doubt that the vast majority would have said yes.
If there had been a plan to seize Ukraine, that could have been done. No problem at all.
Regarding the 'brotherly people'. You know, I visited Ukraine quite a bit before all of this occurred. I never had the feeling that they were a 'brotherly people'; it seems to me that this whole 'brotherly' concept is part of Soviet propaganda.
Pozner's Stance on the War in Ukraine
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Pozner remained silent for a long time. His program "Pozner" was pulled from Channel One, and the propagandist himself "vanished."
A year later, on the anniversary of the so-called special military operation, the TV presenter broke his silence, speaking at the online conference Ubiquity University Humanity Rising Day 641: Summit on Ukraine I: Overview of the War. He did not speak out either against or in favor of the war, urging people instead to "analyze the facts." Nonetheless, on numerous counts Pozner endorsed Kremlin talking points, or at least expressed an understanding of them. In his lecture, he attempted to explain the rationale behind the Russian president's actions. Trying to sit on two chairs at once, he blamed the United States for the war, while simultaneously criticizing the Russian authorities for domestic repression:
Yes, the overwhelming majority of Russians support Putin, even despite the fact that the bodies of their sons, husbands, and fathers are returning in coffins. They say this is the price that must be paid to protect their country. And that sounds bizarre, because Russia was never physically attacked by Ukraine or anyone else. But propaganda is extremely effective and makes people think that way. Nobody on television or radio tries to explain things the way I did, because it is easier to compel people to think in a certain way using simpler arguments.
Today in Russia, it is extremely difficult to disagree with what is happening. It is dangerous. You face repression for it; people are sent to prison for expressing their opinion. [...] I think most Americans have no conception of what is truly happening in Russia today. It is a very complicated situation.
As a journalist, I can tell you — I feel ashamed of my profession. I feel ashamed of what is happening [to it]. For the lies presented as truth, for propaganda in the worst sense of that word. I shouldn't say this, but I will. I am actually an atheist, but if there is a hell, many journalists will end up there.
Regarding the cause of the so-called SMO, the propagandist wrote in a comment under the video, justifying Putin's actions:
...On February 24, certain events took place. The Russian Federation is defending Russian people in the DPR, LPR, and Crimea. The neighboring country, Ukraine, planned to join the hostile NATO military bloc and develop nuclear weapons, and wanted to win back Crimea, the DPR, and the LPR in the long term. For 8 years, intensive Latvian-style Russophobic propaganda and the ideology of Bandera/Shukhevych was underway in Ukraine. Zelenskyy refused guarantees of non-alignment with NATO and began threatening to develop nuclear weapons; Ukraine could have done that, and they had such capabilities. Ukraine (population 40 million) turned into a national security threat to the Russian Federation right at its borders. The US heavily influenced Ukraine so that Ukraine would not compromise with Russia (and with the Russian World), pouring fuel on the civil war in Ukraine since 2014 and backing non-compliance with the Minsk agreements. The sole beneficiary of the war in Ukraine is the United States...
Following this appearance, Pozner became persona non grata on Russian television. His public evening event in Moscow, scheduled for April 8, was canceled. However, Pozner was not especially distressed, having never considered himself a Russian.
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