Russia Declares War on Santa Claus
As Christians worldwide celebrated Christmas and children eagerly awaited Santa Claus with glasses of milk and plates of cookies, Russia veered into the absurd and unsettling. A new propaganda video emerged, depicting Santa Claus—the cherished symbol of generosity and joy—being obliterated by a surface-to-air missile, over the skies of Moscow.
Disseminated through Russian military propagandist Telegram channels, the video added a surreal twist to the holiday season. To make matters even stranger, the actor in the clip felt compelled to clarify that the footage was unrelated to the Azerbaijan Airlines crash—downed by Russian missiles—claiming it had been filmed months earlier in the fall. Yes, you read that correctly: Russia has declared war on Santa Claus.
But the absurdity didn’t stop there. In mid-December, in a move straight out of the Cold War, pro-Kremlin activist, Vitaly Borodin, began pushing to label Santa a “foreign agent.” That’s right: a fictitious character who embodies holiday cheer and Christian traditions is being framed as an enemy of the state. Welcome to the surreal world of Russian propaganda, where no Western cultural icon is safe—not even jolly old Saint Nick.
In a recent letter to Russia’s Prosecutor General, Borodin, reportedly argued that Santa Claus should be designated as a “foreign agent” due to his popularity in “unfriendly” countries. These nations, Borodin alleged, use the Christmas icon to “undermine traditional values.” It seems even the spirit of Christmas itself isn’t immune to Russia’s campaign of disinformation and paranoia.
This isn’t just an attack on Santa; it’s a symbolic assault on Western culture and Christianity itself. By blowing up Santa in their propaganda, the Russian state taps into a deep-seated disdain for the West, portraying even the most innocent symbols as dangerous tools of Western influence.
It’s a testament to how far Russia is willing to go in its campaign to destroy—not just cancel—Western traditions. The message is clear: nothing is off-limits in their cultural vendetta.
While Western nations have celebrated the end of the Cold War with victory laps, hailing the triumph of democracy and free markets, Russia has been lying in wait. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian security services have methodically plotted their revenge, patiently preparing for the opportune moment to undermine the West and destabilize its democracies. This anti-Santa propaganda is the latest example of how deep the resentment runs.
The video, while ridiculous on the surface, reveals something darker about the Kremlin’s worldview. It’s not just about rejecting Western culture—it’s about obliterating it, violently and theatrically.
Santa Claus isn’t just a holiday figure to them; he’s a symbol of everything they detest about the West: joy, freedom, and a sense of community that transcends borders.
And so, Russia’s war on Santa Claus underscores their broader strategy: to seek and destroy, whether it’s symbols of Western culture, democratic ideals, or the values of open societies. The irony, of course, is that in their attempt to tarnish the West, they’ve succeeded only in making themselves look more absurd.
Declaring Santa Claus a foreign agent? Blowing him up in a propaganda video? It would be laughable if it weren’t part of a much larger, more insidious campaign to dismantle Western influence. In the meantime, we can only hope Santa’s sleigh is missile-proof.