DISINFO: Die Welt proposed to kill Putin
SUMMARY
The West does not hide that it is preparing for a full-scale world war. They do everything to make it come as soon as possible. Die Welt published an article, with a headline, in which they are directly calling for the assassination of the supreme commander [Vladimir Putin].
RESPONSE
The claim is untrue. Die Welt published an opinion called "The post-Putin scenario" (this pro-Kremlin media outlet might be referring to it, without specifying the article). The article does not call "to kill Putin".
The author of this op-ed warns about attempts to try and change the Russian political regime artificially: "Many current focal points and long-term important issues had to recede into the background - because a Russian President living in his alternative reality is launching a war of annihilation in Europe. Of course, it is primarily up to Russia's citizens to make decisions about their government or those in power. It would be easiest if the people in Russia could simply vote out the current regime. But free and fair elections are not possible in Russia. <>And yet every Russian citizen has to make a very fundamental choice: do they want to continue to accept Putinism, or do they want to distance themselves from it? Those Russians who have bravely organised themselves into smaller protest groups or who have moved their media offices to Georgia or Lithuania have made their choice. But millions haven't, or haven't yet."
The opinion concludes: "Every democratic country - whether in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa or Latin America - should be invited to take an active part in maintaining and improving a rules-based international order and thus against Russian Putinism".
Political forecasts for "Russia's future after Putin" cannot be equated with calls to "kill Putin". Vladimir Putin, born in 1952, will run for the next election in 2024. Since Russia is a democracy on paper, other candidates will be allowed, as well as non systemic opposition, as it is called in Russia, may also campaign. Die Welt's article clearly refers to legal mechanisms of condemning Russia's war crimes and political processes which await Russia in the future.
See more about Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia's war crimes in Ukraine. See more disinformation claims on Vladimir Putin and their debunks.
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