A provocative propaganda video released by pro-Kremlin social media channels shows Santa Claus being shot down by Russian air defenses over Moscow.
The video's anti-Western messaging comes days after Russia was accused of downing an Azerbaijani passenger plane in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people, raising questions about its timing and intent during ongoing geopolitical tensions, Newsweek reported.
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.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) 2024-12-27T10:36:20.701Z
The video, first shared Dec. 27 on Russian social media platforms like Telegram, depicts Santa Claus flying over Moscow with a sleigh carrying NATO-branded missiles while cheerfully greeting Russians in English.
Moments later, a missile launched by Russian air defenses explodes the sleigh midair, leaving a firework trail.
The scene cuts to a military control room where Ded Moroz, Russia's traditional Santa figure, celebrates the destruction of the "foreign invader."
"We do not need anything foreign in our skies," the Ded Moroz character says in the video.
The video has sparked a wave of reactions, with critics condemning it as a grim attempt to mask the gravity of recent events through dark humor.
Meanwhile, investigations into the Azerbaijani plane incident continue, with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Brazil analyzing the plane's black box for definitive answers.
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