Putin Turned Clown? Russia Warns Swiss Media of "Extreme Anger"

Swiss Media Reports on SNS Meme Phenomenon After Ukraine Crisis
Russian Embassy in Switzerland Posts Letter on Homepage

Caricature published in the Swiss newspaper Neue Z?rcher Zeitung. Photo by Twitter capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Russian authorities have reportedly sent a warning letter accusing a Swiss newspaper of defamation for including a caricature depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin as a clown in its report.

On the website of the Russian Embassy in Switzerland, a letter addressed to the editor-in-chief of the Swiss newspaper Neue Z?rcher Zeitung (NZZ) was posted as of the 18th (local time). The letter was published on the website on the 16th.

The letter stated that the caricature included in NZZ's recent article titled "Between Superheroes and Villains: The Power of Memes in the Ukraine Crisis" defamed President Putin. The report dealt with the phenomenon of memes?satirical content spreading on social media platforms such as Twitter?related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The caricature used as a meme in the report depicted President Putin's nose as that of a clown, and his face was colored with the rainbow colors symbolizing the LGBTQ community. In contrast, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was drawn wearing the costume of Captain America, a hero from Hollywood movies. Alongside the image, a tweet with the hashtag "Putin is a war criminal" was also included.

In the letter, the Russian side expressed "extreme anger at the aggressive portrayal of President Putin," stating that "freedom of expression cannot coexist with the freedom to spread insults and falsehoods." They also argued that "if one is to talk about clowns, it would be much more appropriate to address former comedian Zelensky in a past context."

The Russian side reportedly requested Swiss law enforcement authorities to take action regarding the defamation. NZZ has not issued an official response to Russia's warning letter.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.