As the news portal “UNITED24” writes, V. Putin made these remarks during a meeting with students and faculty at Moscow State Pedagogical University on August 29.
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It is noted that the conversation on this topic started when the Kremlin host spoke with Dmitry Balanchukov, a Chinese language teacher from Russia’s Belgorod region, who had visited the North Pole.
V. Putin asked if he had seen polar bears, and then steered the conversation towards orcas.
“Orcas live nearby. They eat these bears like small fish. Yes, they just attack in a pack – boom! – and tear them to pieces. It’s all very interesting. That is the food chain,” said the Kremlin leader, then directly linking this example to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
“This should also be explained to children so that they understand what kind of world we live in and why we are conducting a ‘special military operation’,” said V. Putin.
During the same discussion, he also mentioned the writer Jack London and described some customs of northern indigenous communities, according to which, he claimed, elderly people who could no longer travel with the group were left to the wolves.
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“Yes, all this seems quite cruel, but that is their life,” emphasized the Russian leader.
However, as “UNITED24” notes, V. Putin’s claim that orcas hunt polar bears is not supported by documented observations of these animals’ diets. Although both species live in the Arctic ecosystem and their ranges may overlap, there are no confirmed cases of orcas hunting and eating polar bears.
Russian authorities are increasingly incorporating pro-war narratives into school and other educational institution programs.
V. Putin’s comments came after statements by the Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Pyotr Tolstoy, who called for strikes against Ukrainian cities to demoralize civilians.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that these comments amount to a public call to commit war crimes and indicated that they should be investigated by the International Criminal Court.
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