The Russian embassy in Kenya showed little interest in global peace this Christmas season.
A Kremlin outpost has released a menacing artificial intelligence-generated video depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy being handed handcuffs while Donald Trump and other world leaders receive Christmas presents.
The video, which had about 240,000 views on X at the time of publication, was posted hours before President Zelensky was scheduled to meet with President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago mansion to discuss the U.S.-brokered peace plan between Russia and Ukraine. The clip also shows a Christmas ornament in the shape of a US dollar smashing to the floor.
The caption of the video, produced by Russian state broadcaster Sputnik, reads: “The Christmas season is a time of giving, and Russia makes sure that all its friends receive something nice to stay cheerful and happy.” “Naughty kids will get what comes to them.”
The video begins with Russian President Vladimir Putin dressed as Santa Claus slinging a bag of toys over his shoulder as an instrumental version of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” plays.
A smiling Trump was shown happily unwrapping a box that contained neither weapons nor money, but instead contained a framed photo of him and Putin taken during a widely criticized summit in Alaska earlier this year.
It then depicts Putin's closest allies and authoritarian-friendly leaders receiving carefully selected gifts. When Chinese President Xi Jinping opens a box containing ornaments in the shape of the Chinese yuan and Japanese yen (¥) currency symbols, along with the Russian ruble (₽), dollar bill ornaments fall from the Christmas tree and shatter.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive a figurine of a Russian stealth fighter jet, an apparent nod to Kremlin reports that the plane will be built for the Indian Air Force.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is presented with a DJ set that breathes life into his life, proclaiming: “There will be no war, only peace, forever, forever, forever.” This is a thinly veiled reference to the United States increasing its military presence in the Caribbean.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly appeared with a snow globe depicting the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, in which Russia invested about $9 billion this year.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiles as he looks at a note with a wrapped sword that says “From Russia with gratitude,” while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán holds up a gift card from Russian state energy giant Gazprom.
The only gift worse than Trump's was given to President Zelensky, who was shown opening a box of handcuffs and grimacing behind bars.
The video surfaced as Russia continues to escalate its war in Ukraine, days after U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the Russian government was “fully committed” to achieving peace.
Russian forces bombed Kiev on Saturday morning, killing one person and wounding dozens. It comes less than a week after Witkoff praised Russia's supposed “commitment” on social media.
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine. Russia highly values the efforts and support of the United States towards resolving the conflict in Ukraine and re-establishing global security,” Witkoff wrote on December 21.
On December 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense boasted that it had carried out a “massive attack” on Ukraine using “long-range precision-guided land, air and sea weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic air-ballistic missiles” targeting what it called “Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
