Russian agents who promote the Kremlin’s narratives in the world work all over the world. And they are not only among journalists. Today we will introduce an ex-US Army man who switched sides & is now working for the propaganda ministry of Russia. His name is Douglas Macgregor and he’s one of the well-known commentators on the Russo-Ukrainian War, making predictions that never come true.
Military merits
We have to be honest and give Douglas credit. He played a significant role on the battlefield in the 1990-91 Gulf War and the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. His 1997 book Breaking the Phalanx established him as an influential if unconventional theorist of military strategy. His other book, “Transformation under Fire”, was required reading for all officers in the Israeli Army. His thinking contributed to the US strategy in its 2003 invasion of Iraq.
But in 1997 US Army refused him for the 3rd time for a position of combat brigade commander. In 2004 he left the Army. After leaving the military in 2004, he became more politically active.
Political career, Trump and TV shows
Macgregor has appeared as a regular guest on Fox News, with at least 60 Fox weekday appearances from August 2017 to early 2022, including 48 on Tucker Carlson’s show. Carlson has described him as a “one of the people we trust to give us real information.”
From his appearances on FOX, he was also noticed by Trump – In 2020 Macgregor was allegedly 2nd choice candidate for the position of undersecretary of defense for policy. He was also Trump’s candidate for the position of US Ambassador to Germany. On November 11, 2020, a Pentagon spokesperson announced that Macgregor had been hired to serve as Senior Advisor to the Acting Secretary of Defense, a post he held for less than three months.
Macgregor’s capability to lie with a straight face was probably why Trump got so interested in him. When it comes to the war in Ukraine, Macgregor is a pathological liar. His predictions are similar to Jehova’s witnesses predictions: they never come true.
Promotion of Russian narratives during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Three days after the invasion has begun, he predicted that “If they don’t surrender in the next 24 hours, I suspect Russia will ultimately annihilate them.” He also said that “US should stay out of the conflict” and “avoid sending any aid to Ukrainian forces”.
A few days later he said that “Russia has been too gentle” & that “I would say another 10 days this should be completely over.” He’s also called Zelenskyy a puppet and called for Ukraine’s neutralization. After these comments, Tucker Carlson described him as an “honest man”.
In March, Ukrainians were, based on Macgregor, losing again: “grounded to bits. There’s no question about that despite what we report on our mainstream media.” In an interview by the Grayzone, he said that Putin is taking good care of civilians and this delays his victory.
In Sep, 2022, he again told Carlson that “this war may be over soon” and that “the Ukrainian army is bled white, tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded. Ukraine is really on the ropes”. This was a few months before Russian troops fled from Kherson.
Macgregor has also been accused of Anti-Semitism, calling Jews “rootless cosmopolitans” (old Russian pejorative epithet) and racism. He said that Mexican immigrants should be shot at the border. He also referred to blacks to as an “entitled underclass”.
