Tucker Carlson's 'Sensational' Putin Interview Is Playing for Free at Russian Theater in Propaganda Push

Former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 8 has turned into a domestic propaganda coup, and at least one mayor is milking it for all it’s worth.

Knewz.com has learned that Sergey Voropanov, the mayor of Vologda, is planning to book a local theater to show the interview on the big screen, he announced on his Telegram account.

“This meeting took place a week ago, but it is still being discussed all over the world…But not all Vologda residents had the opportunity to watch it on the Internet. Therefore, especially for them, tomorrow at 09:50 the sensational interview will be shown on the big screen,” he wrote on Tuesday, February 13.

He added, “Of course it’s free.”

Vologda also opined that the “big interview” is still being discussed all over the world and that its views across “foreign social media” have topped 1 billion. On X, the interview has been viewed 201 million times as of Wednesday morning.

The interview has become an opportunity for politicians to show their loyalty. By: MEGA

The over two-hour interview with Putin was published on Carlson’s website and distributed primarily through X, formerly known as Twitter, and famously opened with a 20-minute largely uninterrupted Russian history lesson from Putin.

It has since become an opportunity for politicians to prove their loyalty to the president.

A member of Putin’s United Russia party, Vyacheslav Nikonov, addressed Russia’s legislative lower house and said all political factions are “in one way or another, talking about the main event of recent days,” referencing the interview.

According to Newsweek, the politician added, “Thanks to this event, Vladimir Putin, of course, has become the top global newsmaker of the year.”

Putin’s popularity in Russia is difficult to gauge. By: MEGA

Nikonov also repeated Vologda’s 1 billion viewers claim, which he said was based on his own estimates extrapolated from the X viewership numbers.

“The West must now find ways to save face by finding paths to start negotiations,” said Nikonov.

Additionally, diplomats abroad are working to build a veneer of popularity surrounding Putin ahead of Russia’s upcoming presidential election on March 24-25.

The Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergei Nechaev, told RBC, a Russian media outlet, that they have officially contacted German authorities to contain predicted protests at the embassy’s polling stations during the election.

“The situation around the embassy can hardly be called calm. It is difficult to exclude the possibility of provocations and other excesses. We know that anti-Russian rallies are being prepared. The German authorities were asked to take comprehensive security measures,” Nechaev told the outlet.

Nechaev blamed any potential voting hiccups on “anti-Russian elements” within Germany and the decision to close four out of five consulate generals in May 2023 as part of an effort to limit the number of Russian diplomats allowed in the country to 30.

Russia’s ambassador to Germany predicted future elections will feature protests. By: MEGA

“Of course, this will entail a reduction in the number of polling stations and will complicate the process of participation in voting for Russian citizens, especially those living in remote regions of Germany,” said Nachaev.

While Russian polling is untrustworthy due to laws with strict penalties for criticizing authorities, Putin did have an 83% approval rating in a recent poll reported by Newsweek.