Arnold Schwarzenegger is attempting to cut through the misinformation perpetuated by Russia’s state-run media amid the war in Ukraine.
The former governor of California, 74, appealed to his Russian fans Thursday in a heartfelt video detailing the turmoil caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I regret to tell you that thousands of Russian soldiers that have been killed,” Schwarzenegger said in the video that has since amassed more than 8.8 million views. “They have been caught between Ukrainians fighting for their homeland and the Russian leadership fighting for conquest.”
RELATED: Biden Calls Putin a ‘War Criminal’ as Aide Says He Was ‘Speaking from the Heart’
He started the video with an anecdote about meeting one of his personal heroes at age 14, legendary Russian weightlifter Yury Petrovich Vlasov, whom he watched win the World Weightlifting Championship in 1961. Afterward, his friend helped him get backstage to meet his idol.
“All of the sudden, there I was, a 14-year-old boy standing in front of the strongest man in the world. I couldn’t believe it. He reached out to shake my hand. I still had a boy’s hand. He had this powerful man’s hand that swallowed mine. But he was kind, and he smiled at me. I will never forget that day.”
Schwarzenegger recounted going home and putting Vlasov’s photo above his bed “to inspire me when I started lifting weights,” but his father told him to take it down and “find a German or Austrian hero.”
“He got really angry, and we argued back and forth. He didn’t like Russians because of his experience in the Second World War,” he explained. “You see, he was injured at Leningrad, where the Nazi army that he was part of did vicious harm to the great city and its great people.
“But I did not take the photograph down, no. Because it didn’t matter to me what flag Yury Vlasov carried,” Schwarzenegger added.
The Golden Globe winner noted that his love for Russia has only grown since then, frequently traveling to the country for bodybuilding, movie roles and to meet his Russian fans.
He even reconnected with Vlasov while filming his 1988 movie Red Heat in Moscow, the first American movie allowed to film in Red Square. Schwarzenegger got to spend the day with his hero, who gave him a blue coffee cup that he still uses daily. (Vlasov died last February of natural causes. He was 85.)
“The reason why I’m telling you all of those things is, ever since I was 14 years old, I’ve had nothing but affection and respect for the people of Russia. 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.”
DAPHNE ROUSSEAU/AFP via Getty
Schwarzenegger empathized that “no one likes to hear something critical of their government,” noting that he speaks “with the same heartfelt concern” as when he denounced the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riots last year.
“I know that your government has told you that this is a war to denazify Ukraine. Denazify Ukraine? This is not true,” he said. “Ukraine is a country with a Jewish president, a Jewish president I might add, whose father’s three brothers were all murdered by the Nazis. You see, Ukraine did not start this war. Neither did nationalists or Nazis. Those in power in the Kremlin started this war. This is not the Russian people’s war.”
The Terminator star noted that 141 nations at the U.N. agreed that Russia was the aggressor, calling for the country to remove their troops.
“See, the world has turned against Russia because of its actions in Ukraine. Whole city blocks have been flattened by Russian artillery and bombs, including a children’s hospital and a maternity hospital. Three million Ukrainian refugees, mainly women, children and elderly, fled their country. And many more are trying to seek to get out. It is a humanitarian crisis. Because of its brutality, Russia is now isolated from the society of nations.”
He again used his father’s experience as an example, explaining that he “was all pumped up on the lies of his government” when he arrived to fight in Leningrad, after which, “he was broken, physically and mentally. He lived the rest of his life in pain.”
Attn
“I don’t want you to be broken like my father. This is not a war to defend Russia that your grandfathers and your great grandfathers fought. This is an illegal war. Your lives, your limbs, your futures are being sacrificed for a senseless war condemned by the entire world.”
Schwarzenegger then appealed directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “You started this war, you’re leading this war, you can stop this war.” He also paid his respects to the Russian people who have been protesting the war.
“You have been arrested. You have been jailed and you have been beaten,” Schwarzenegger said. “You are my new heroes. You have the strength of Yury Petrovich Vlasov. You have the true heart of Russia. My dear Russian friends, may God bless you all.”
Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
Details of the fighting change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. More than a million Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.
RELATED VIDEO: 2 Ukrainian Children Who Fled Russian Invasion Receive Special Welcome at New School in Italy
The invasion, ordered by Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia.
With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and that he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy has vowed not to bend.
“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,” he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE’s complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
