How Russia uses sarcasm as weapon in Ukraine crisis
바카라 게임 웹사이트Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday.바카라 게임 웹사이트
That바카라 게임 웹사이트s how a top Russian diplomat brushed off speculation in the West that Russia could invade neighboring Ukraine as soon as Wednesday, Feb. 16.
As the U.S. and other NATO members warn of the potential for a devastating war, Russia is not countering with bombs or olive branches 바카라 게임 웹사이트 but with sarcasm.
It바카라 게임 웹사이트s a tool that officials in Moscow have long used to belittle their rivals and to deflect attention from actions seen as threatening to the West or Russia바카라 게임 웹사이트s neighbors. Laconic quips dovetail with the Kremlin바카라 게임 웹사이트s domestic agenda by making Russia and its all-powerful president look more cool-headed and clever than countries in the panicky, democratic West.
As worries mushroomed that Wednesday could be the day President Vladimir Putin launches an invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials ridiculed them.
In a Facebook post, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova asked the 바카라 게임 웹사이트mass media of disinformation바카라 게임 웹사이트 in the West 바카라 게임 웹사이트to reveal the schedule of our 바카라 게임 웹사이트invasions바카라 게임 웹사이트 for the upcoming year. I바카라 게임 웹사이트d like to plan my vacations.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트To the regret of many Western media, the war again failed to start,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Zakharova said at a briefing on Wednesday. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Fighting has erupted on their pages, but it has no relation to reality.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Ukrainians, meanwhile, have been living amid signs of a possible invasion for several weeks, with an estimated 150,000 Russian troops surrounding much of their country for military exercises. Russia said this week it was starting to pull back some troops, but Western military officials say there's no evidence of a serious withdrawal.
Russia바카라 게임 웹사이트s ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, accused Westerners of 바카라 게임 웹사이트slander바카라 게임 웹사이트 for alleging an invasion was afoot. He insisted in an interview with German daily newspaper Welt that 바카라 게임 웹사이트there won바카라 게임 웹사이트t be an attack this Wednesday.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Then Chizhov added: 바카라 게임 웹사이트Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday.바카라 게임 웹사이트바카라 게임 웹사이트
The statement seemed more flippant than historically significant. World War I started on a Tuesday and World War II started in Europe on a Friday, but Europe's history of war over centuries includes conflicts that kicked off throughout the week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also took the West's growing fears lightly. Asked Wednesday whether Russia's presidential administration operated differently overnight, he told reporters that everyone slept calmly and resumed work in the morning as usual.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Western hysteria is still far from its culmination,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Peskov said. "We need to have patience, as the remission will not come quickly.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The master of Russian diplomatic snark is Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He is known worldwide for his quips 바카라 게임 웹사이트 often said in English 바카라 게임 웹사이트 over 18 years as the Kremlin바카라 게임 웹사이트s top diplomat.
On Wednesday, Lavrov mocked the West as sadly "lacking basic upbringing바카라 게임 웹사이트 for trying to dictate or predict Russia바카라 게임 웹사이트s plans.
Beneath the sarcasm, Russia has narrated the current Ukraine crisis from the outset: first by moving troops toward Ukraine, then by periodically holding out the possibility of a diplomatic solution, keeping foreign officials and global markets on constant edge.
While Putin offered more talks this week, his intentions in Ukraine remain unclear. Western intelligence suggests an invasion of some kind could still happen 바카라 게임 웹사이트 on a future Wednesday or any day of the week.