Andrei Zakirzyanov presents his take on the Russia-Ukraine crisis in a series of political cartoons for RFE/RL's Current Time TV program.
Cartoon Villains: The Russia-Ukraine Crisis In Caricature
1
The Ukraine cease-fire talks in Minsk, attended by the leaders of (left to right) Belarus, Ukraine, France, Germany, and Russia, with a play on the title of the British action film Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels in English and Russian
2
"Russian Ebola
Symptoms
Apathy Blindness
Deafness Muteness
Acute brain failure
Hallucinations
Sudden aggression
Propensity for violence
Loss of orientation
OursOurs Syndrome
Paranoia
...
Vatomania
Ukropophobia
Not treatable!"
Symptoms
Apathy Blindness
Deafness Muteness
Acute brain failure
Hallucinations
Sudden aggression
Propensity for violence
Loss of orientation
OursOurs Syndrome
Paranoia
...
Vatomania
Ukropophobia
Not treatable!"
3
"Peacemaker of the Year": Vladimir Putin as a terrorist with two hostages
4
"So vile and cynical": Vladimir Putin cries crocodile tears as he points at the views of security cameras on the bridge in Moscow where Boris Nemtsov was killed on February 27, an act Putin described as "vile and cynical."
5
A parody using characters from the famous Soviet film Ivan Vasilievich: Back To The Future:
"Fie on you! Fie on you again!" reads the top title.
Tsar Putin: "I was plagued by vague doubts."
Courtier: "What? What? The Crimean district? Such a question can't be resolved so quickly! Come back in a week!"
Angela Merkel: "Oh, ja, ja! The Crimea district! Oh, ja, ja!"
"Fie on you! Fie on you again!" reads the top title.
Tsar Putin: "I was plagued by vague doubts."
Courtier: "What? What? The Crimean district? Such a question can't be resolved so quickly! Come back in a week!"
Angela Merkel: "Oh, ja, ja! The Crimea district! Oh, ja, ja!"
6
"Anticrisis plan": On January 28, the Russian government issued its "anticrisis" economic plan, cutting spending in all areas but military and social spending.
7
A parody of Ukraine's hryvnya currency, "1,000 Kievan Rus rubles," issued by the "Russian Occupation Bank."
8
Putin in a tank: "Terms of the armistice exceeded, I'm pulling our troops back to..." with a sign showing the distances to the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Kyiv.
9
"Je suis Kobzon": A cartoon linking the "Je suis Charlie" campaign following the Charlie Hebdo massacre with Western sanctions hitting Russian crooner Iosif Kobzon