The Terminator's message to Putin goes viral in Russia

Famed Hollywood actor turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger was trending on Russian social media on Friday after posting a video warning his followers against believing misinformation and telling Russian President Vladimir Putin: “You started this war, and you can stop it.”

I love the Russian people. That is why I have to tell you the truth. Please watch and share. pic.twitter.com/6gyVRhgpFV

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 17, 2022

Although Schwarzenegger is a Western figure, he is well positioned to reach Russian audiences as he is one of a handful of accounts followed by the Kremlin’s official Russian and English-language Twitter accounts, the BBC reported.

In the nine-minute video, the former Austrian body-builder streamed footage of the destruction in Ukraine and called on the Russian public to see through the Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda.

"I'm speaking to you today because there are things going on in the world that are being kept from you, terrible things that you should know about," he says.

"Ukraine did not start this war, neither did nationalists or Nazis," the former California governor says, noting that the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish. "This is not the Russian people's war."

Schwarzenegger also discussed his father, who was among Nazi German forces who attacked St. Petersburg during the last years of WWII. Eventually, the actor recalls, he returned a “broken man,” full of pain from a wound he sustained during the fighting.

"The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me," he says. "That is why I hope that you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine."

"This is an illegal war. Your lives, your limbs, your futures have been sacrificed for a senseless war condemned by the entire world,” he added.

The former California governor’s video also gained considerable support amongst politicians who oppose Putin’s war in Ukraine.

Opposition leader Lev Shlosberg took to Telegram to say it had been filmed, "with respect towards us, Russian people."

"Arnold Schwarzenegger has a unique ability to talk to anyone with persuasion, respect and on equal terms. Wits, power and justice. Have a listen. Think about it. Understand," Shlosberg said.

Journalist Anton Orekh also took to Telegram to address the video and told his followers that the actor’s message contained no “Russophobia.”

"We are outcasts in the world.. Arnold is one of the few people who addressed Russians not as savage orcs, but as good people who have lost their ways," Orekh said.