Russian propagandist Andrei Norkin refused to say anything about the withdrawal of Russian occupation troops from Kherson because of the risk of ending up behind bars.
Russian TV host Andrei Norkin refused to comment on the Russian Defense Ministry’s decision to withdraw troops from Kherson during a live broadcast of his program “Mesto Vstrechi”.
Either you support Shoigu’s decision, or you criticize it – you face prison
A famous Russian propagandist admitted in a live broadcast that Russia has so “tightened the screws” on freedom of speech that no matter what point of view he comments on the withdrawal of Russian troops from the right bank of the Kherson region, he is still facing prison.
“If you are expecting me to explain to you now my attitude to the decision of the Defense Ministry, I will tell you nothing. But I will explain why. If I support this decision, then it comes out that this is a public call for violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. In our criminal code, this is Article 280 (1). Several years of imprisonment. And if I do not support this decision, and I believe that the Ministry of Defense is wrong, leaving Kherson, it will be seen as a public action aimed at discrediting the armed forces. Part 3. The term of imprisonment is approximately the same. I don’t want to go to prison,” Norkin said.
Russian propaganda starts understanding the harsh reality of severe defeats on the frontlines, and shares it with its brainwashed audience live on the same state TV, that had announced a 3-days victorious war. As previously reported, the Russian propagandist Steshin said that Russia in the Donbas is advancing not more than 3 centimeters a day.
Russia’s retreat from Kherson
On November 9, it became known that bridges in Russian-occupied Kherson were blown up. State flags of the Russian invaders were gone from the city’s administrative buildings.
On the same day, Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu gave the order to withdraw Russian troops from the right bank of the Kherson region, including the city of Kherson, to move to the left bank of the region and take up “defense” there. The Russian troops started withdrawing from Kherson the same day.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War believe that the retreat of Russian troops from Kherson to the left bank of the Dnipro River is not a trap put by the Russian invaders, but a consequence of successful operations by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The head of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that the United States was recording the first signs of the retreat of Russian troops from Kherson, CNN reports. However, according to him, the withdrawal of the troops, which number about 20-30 thousand people, may last for days or even weeks.
