The man of the moment on Russia's political scene is no longer the pacifist Boris Nadezhdin, whose candidacy in the March elections hangs in the balance; not even the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who is going to win them; nor the imprisoned or exiled opponents and not even the director Michael Lokshin, who triumphs with the film adaptation of Mikhail Bulgákov's novel The Master and Margarita, but is the target of sharp criticism from the official propaganda for having stood against the intervention military in Ukraine.
The man of the moment is a journalist who has come from afar in search of the bombshell news of our time. However, in the end he himself has become news.
His arrival in the Russian capital could have been discreet. But not. The Telegram channel Mash, close to power, published photos of him at the airport and the Bolshoi Theater, and made a big deal. It was Tucker Carlson, known for his proximity to the theses of former President Donald Trump, whom he supports in the United States electoral race.
Until his abrupt firing last April, Carlson was Fox News' most popular host. Since then he has used X, formerly Twitter, to distribute his show, Tucker on X. In Russia he became popular during the Trump presidency, when he mocked accusations against Moscow of interference in the presidential elections. He has supported Kremlin views on the war with Ukraine, criticized Washington for supporting Kyiv and suggested Western responsibility in the conflict.
His presence in the Russian capital has fueled the great rumor: “What is Carlson doing here, has he perhaps come to interview Putin?” The journalist had previously expressed his desire to interview the head of the Kremlin, who last spoke with a Western journalist in October 2021.
The Russian media has followed his activity step by step in what seems like a kind of miscellany of a classic of the profession, Bomb News! (Scoop, 1938), written by Evelyn Waugh. Discovering what Carlson did was nothing more than an exclusive. “Tucker seen in a Moscow hotel”, “Carlson, at the VDNKh Russia exhibition”, “Tucker Carlson invited to Pavel Volia's show on TNT”, “Tucker Carlson's car left the Presidential Administration, where it remained longer of an hour", "Carlson's car came back in...", "Tucker Carlson tests the Sabroso network and that's it" (former McDonald's), have been some of the headlines.
Of course Carlson had come to interview Vladimir Putin. The same communicator ended the questions this Tuesday night when he announced it in a video on X. The presenter assured that "no Western reporter has bothered to interview the Russian president." He added that he was in Russia to counter what he described as pro-Ukraine “sycophant sessions” by Western media covering the war.
From the United States, some colleagues have replied. In an analysis piece, Oliver Darcy says on CNN that the network asked Carlson if he was going to question Putin about Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. He, an American national, and Alsou Kurmasheva (Radio Liberty correspondent, Russian-American) have been in prison in Russia for months. “There was no response,” Darcy wrote.
Yesterday the Kremlin confirmed that the interview had already taken place. His spokeswoman, Dimitri Peskov, denied that Carlson has a “pro-Russian” stance and said that Putin agreed to speak with him because “he has a different position from the rest. He is neither pro-Russian nor pro-Ukrainian, but rather pro-American, but it contrasts with the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media,” he stated.
Tucker's bombshell news, the real one, is expected starting today on X, where it will go “uncensored” by Elon Musk, its owner, Carlson said on Tuesday.
The visit to Moscow ends. But the commotion will not be forgotten. He has also left jokes on social networks. Emulating Where's Waldo? , the Rostov website 161.ru has launched a poll among its readers: “Are you waiting for Tucker Carlson?”
