The following is a selection of MEMRI Special Dispatches surveying Russian official comments on the outgoing Obama administration:
Russian Cartoons On Obama's Legacy
The following cartoons were published in pro-Kremlin media outlets on U.S. President Barack Obama's legacy and future prospects after the U.S. elections. The cartoons inter alia envision Obama working as a waiter at McDonald's and as a pizza delivery boy, once his term of office as U.S. president expires.
See MEMRI TV Special Dispatch No. 6538, Russian Cartoons On Obama's Legacy, July 21, 2016.
Twitter.com/13studiya, March 5, 2016.
Caption: What will Obama work at after he retires from office?
Choice No. 1: A waiter at McDonald's
Choice No.2: A gangster
Choice No.3: A poker player
Choice No.4: A farmer
How Does Barack Obama Stack Up Against Vladimir Putin In The Eye Of Pro-Kremlin Russian Cartoonists
The following cartoons directly comparing U.S. President Barack Obama with Russian President Vladimir Putin, appeared on the Pro-Kremlin media outlets Sharzh I Pero and Studiya 13, a project run by young pro-Kremlin Russian artists. The cartoons depict Obama as a loser, an alcoholic and overall as a weak leader, whereas Putin is portrayed as a strong and respected leader.
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6561, Barack Obama Vs. Vladimir Putin As Visualized By Pro-Kremlin Russian Cartoons, August 8, 2016.
Vk.com/13studiya, August 5, 2016.
Putin kicks Obama in the butt.
Caption: Surface to Air Obama.
Russian FM Spokeswoman Zakharova Rails Against The U.S. Administration For Imposing New Sanctions: ‘Today America And The American People Were Disparaged By Their Own President’
On December 29, the Obama Administration sanctioned Russia’s security services and military intelligence and declared 35 diplomats persona non grata, calling Moscow's "malicious cyber-enabled activities" a "national emergency."[1] Commenting on the decision, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page: “Today America and the American people were disparaged by their own president. This time Washington was slapped in the face by its own leader, who maximized the number of the incoming team’s pressing problems." She then described the Obama administration as "a group of foreign policy losers, embittered and narrow-minded." Zakharova also added: "Being unable to include any major achievements on the global arena in the history of his presidency, the Nobel Prize winner managed to close his chapter with an ugly splotch instead of an elegant period mark." In her post Zakharova wrote that the whole world is watching "the devastating blow to the prestige of America and its leadership, dealt by Barack Obama and his incompetent foreign policy team."[2] In an interesting twist Zakaharova on her Facebook page tried to differentiate between Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. "Allow us to convey our words of solidarity- You employed the best efforts, in order to prevent the foreign-policy collapse of your country." No American secretary of state should have had to put up with what Kerry went through, commiserated Zakaharova.
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6725, Russian FM Spokeswoman Zakharova Rails Against The U.S. Administration For Imposing New Sanctions: ‘Today America And The American People Were Disparaged By Their Own President’, December 30, 2016.
Zakharova (Source: Mid.ru)
Posters Calling Obama 'A Killer' Seen On Moscow Streets
In February 2016, an anti-smoking advertisement appeared on a Moscow bus shelter that stated that "smoking kills more people than Obama." After photos of the advertisement (which had no attribution) went viral on Russian social networks, the Moscow municipality reported that it was the work of hooligans and that it had been removed.
This is not the first time that President Obama has been depicted as a killer in posters on Moscow streets. On January 27, 2016, the pro-Kremlin art group Glavplakat hung a poster proclaiming Obama a killer opposite the U.S. Embassy in the city center. Subsequently on February 11, students from several Russian universities uploaded a video to YouTube in which they called on the UN to stop Obama's "aggression" and to prosecute him for "the thousands of lives he has taken."
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6317, Posters Calling Obama 'A Killer' Seen On Moscow Streets, February 22, 2016.
The poster as published on the group's website (Glavplakat.ru, January 27, 2016)
Russia Today TV 10th Anniversary Clip: In 2035, Obama, Kerry Forgotten Old Timers, Snowden President
In the following video released by Russia Today TV to mark the channel's 10th anniversary in 2015, Obama and Kerry are shown in 2035, lamenting the "new era of transparency," under U.S. President Edward Snowden. "No one is afraid of us anymore," says Kerry. The video ends with the message: "RT. By this time, we'll be 30 years on air."
See MEMRI TV clip n. 5208, Russia Today TV 10th Anniversary Clip: In 2035, Obama, Kerry Forgotten Old Timers, Snowden President, December 1, 2015.
A scene from the MEMRI TV clip
