Arnold Schwarzenegger's message to Russian soldiers: 'I don't want you to be broken' like my Nazi father

Lester Fabian Brathwaite
·3 min read
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Arnold Schwarzenegger is flexing his diplomatic muscles in a nine-minute video uploaded to Twitter in which the action star and former Governor of California implores Russian soldiers to avoid becoming like his father, a Nazi solider who regretted his involvement in World War II.

Schwarzenegger begins his message by tracing his love of Russia and the Russian people to Olympic weightlifter Yuri Petrovich Vlasov, the man who inspired him to pick up weights in the first place. He goes on to recall visiting Russia as an adult, meeting fans, and filming 1988's Red Heat in Moscow, the first American movie allowed to shoot in Red Square.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in
Arnold Schwarzenegger in

Rolf Konow/Sygma/Getty

"Ever since I was 14 years old, I've had nothing but affection and respect for the people of Russia," Schwarzenegger says. "The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me. That is why I hope that you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine and what is happening there."

While the global community has been outraged by Vladimir Putin's unprovoked assault on Ukraine, now in its third week, the people of Russia have largely been fed propaganda regarding the attacks. Schwarzenneger invokes the memory of his father, Gustav Schwarzenegger, a Nazi sergeant in Austria's army during the Second World War, and the lies he was told to justify the abominations he went on to perform.

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"When my father arrived in Leningrad, he was all pumped up on the lies of his government," Schwarzenegger says. "When he left Leningrad, he was broken — physically and mentally. He lived the rest of his life in pain — pain from a broken back, pain from the shrapnel that always reminded him of those terrible years and pain from the guilt that he felt. To the Russian soldiers listening to this broadcast: You already know much of the truth that I'm speaking. You've seen it in your own eyes. I don't want you to be broken like my father."

The truth about Schwarzenegger's father and his time as a Nazi became public in the late-80s, following the death of the elder Schwarzenegger in 1972, and was brought up again during the actor's run for governor in 2003, and again in 2020 following Schwarzenegger's criticisms of those not heeding COVID restrictions. This time, however, Schwarzenegger hoped to use his father's gruesome ties to break through the lies being fed to Russian soliders and civilians alike.

"I know that your government has told you that this is a war to denazify Ukraine," Schwarzenegger says, referencing the Russian president's various justifications for his war, and citing the 141 nations who have condemned his actions in Ukraine. Schwarzenegger then urges the Russian people and the Russian soldiers in Ukraine "to understand the propaganda and the disinformation that you are being told."

He also acknowledges that not everyone in Russia has bought into the Kremlin's alternative facts, praising the protestors who have taken to the streets and in at least one case, the airways, to denounce the war.

"We know that you've suffered the consequences of your courage. You have been arrested, you've been jailed, and you've been beaten," Schwarzenegger says. "You are my new heroes. You have the strength of Yuri Petrovich Vlasov. You have the true heart of Russia."

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