'Santa Putin' features in anti-West propaganda video in Russia

‘Santa Putin’ swaps child’s same-sex parents for a mother and father and gives a football, toy cars and a drum kit to boy being raised as a girl in anti-West propaganda video

• Putin Santa is seen appearing in a house just as the young boy falls asleep
• He replaces ‘girly’ items with presents deemed more suitable for a boy
• Santa also changes a photo showing two male parents with that of a man and a woman. As he leaves, Putin Santa gives a knowing wink to the camera
• The video feeds into Russian prejudices about Western culture

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been portrayed as Santa in an anti-Western propaganda video released on the country’s social media.

The film – made by a production company called Signal – depicts ‘Santa Putin’ swapping a photograph of a child’s same-sex parents for one of a mother and father, and gifting the boy being raised as a girl a football, toy cars and a drum kit.

The video feeds into Russian prejudices about Europe and the United States which have been fuelled by pro-Kremlin propagandists during the war in Ukraine to frame the conflict as a clash of values between Russia and Ukraine’s western allies.

The clip has been surging on social media in Russia since it was posted, providing a propaganda boon for the Russian leader as it was embarrassingly revealed China’s Xi Jinping demanded a written explanation from Putin on when he plans to end his war in Ukraine, and as his war stretched past its 300th day.

Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin is portrayed as Santa in an anti-Western propaganda video released in the country

The clip shows a boy in the West writing and drawing a picture for Santa, wishing for traditional male toys as well as a mother and father. In the drawing, the child in the fiction has drawn himself holding hands with a woman and a man.

Pictures on the mantelpiece in the child’s home show he currently has ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2’ – who are both shown to be male.

The boy baulks at seemingly being made to dress like a girl, unhappy about a necklace and hair band, which he discards on the mantle in disgust.

The storyline has the boy being raised against his will as a girl. 

The camera lingers on books in the child’s comfortable home, showing fictional titles like ‘Straight into Gay’, ‘Render me, Gender me’ and ‘Growing up Gay’.

It also shows that the room the boy is in has limited Christmas decorations. There is a Christmas tree in the corner, but it has no lights on.

The propaganda video depicts a boy (pictured) being raised as a girl in a same-sex household, feeding into Russian prejudices about Europe and the United States which have been fuelled by pro-Kremlin propagandists

Pictures on the mantelpiece in the child’s home (pictured) before ‘Putin Santa’ arrives show he currently has ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2’ – who are both shown to be male

The camera lingers on books in the child’s comfortable home, showing fictional titles like ‘Straight into Gay’, ‘Render me, Gender me’ and ‘Growing up Gay’ (pictured)

The boy is seen penning a drawing for Santa, wishing for traditional male toys as well as a mother and father. In the drawing, the child in the fiction has drawn himself holding hands with a woman and a man

After penning the letter to Santa and placing it in his stocking over the fireplace, the child – wearing pink pyjamas – falls asleep on the sofa. 

As the boy is nodding off, a white-bearded Father Christmas appears with a face closely resembling Putin’s. As he arrives, Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ – from The Nutcracker ballet – begins to play.

Carrying a red stocking, ‘Santa Putin’ is then shown busying himself around the room, changing decorations and replacing items deemed to be girly with presents that the makers of the video consider to be more suitable for a boy.

The camera pans around the room, showing presents placed throughout. These include boy’s shoes and other male clothing, a football, a miniature drum kit, as well as a statue of Jesus on the cross nailed to the wall. 

This is likely a nod to Russian propagandists often discussing a perceived erosion of Christian values in the west. The boy was also shown praying earlier in the clip.

The presents have replaced all the ‘girly’ items, such as the clothing, that were scattered around the room before Putin Santa arrives. Meanwhile, there are far more Christmas decorations, with dozens of lights seen flashing in the room.

As the boy (bottom-right) is nodding off, a white-bearded Father Christmas (top-left_ appears with a face closely resembling Putin’s. As he arrives, Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ – from The Nutcracker ballet – begins to play

Carrying a red stocking, ‘Santa Putin’ (pictured) is shown busying himself around the room, changing decorations and replacing items deemed to be girly with presents that the makers of the video consider to be more suitable for a boy

The pictures of ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2’ are shown to have been changed, now depicting a woman labelled as the ‘Mother’ and a man as the boy’s ‘Father’

Pictured: Santa Putin is seen putting up Christmas decoration’s in the boy’s home

Pictured: Putin Santa lowers his beard as he departs the home, so there is no doubt at his supposed identity. He winks and smiles, before walking off into the night

Putin has sought to portray the West as seeking to impose its ‘alien’ values on Russia, a message this video seeks to exploit. Pictured: Putin takes a child’s request pinned in written form to a fir tree during an event held as part of the ‘Fir Tree of Wishes’ charity campaign, in Moscow on Thursday

What’s more, the pictures of ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2’ have changed, showing a woman labelled as the ‘mother’ and a man as the boy’s ‘father’.

As he walks in front of the mirror over the mantelpiece, Santa’s face becomes more clear, showing a clear likeness to the Russian President. He glances at the camera, before next being shown outside to watch as the boy find his presents. 

The boy wakes up smiling to find his new football and a transformer toy, and looks out the window to where Santa is watching from.

The Putin Santa lowers his beard as he departs so there is no doubt at his supposed identity. He winks and smiles, before walking off into the night.

A message then appears on the screen, which says: ‘Dear Santa – Thank you and Merry Christmas! From all children of the world.’

Putin has sought to portray the West as seeking to impose its ‘alien’ values on Russia, a message this video seeks to exploit.

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