The following is a compilation of official Russian comments appearing in MEMRI's weekly, Russia This Week (RTW):
Cartoons
Dasvidania, Obama!
Vk.com/13studiya, August 18, 2016
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6582, Russia This Week - August 15 - 22, 2016, August 21, 2016.
US President Barack Obama is an old memory. Russian President Vladimir Putin bids him farewell.
Twitter.com/sharzhipero, November 25, 2016.
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6695, Russia This Week - November 20-27, 2016, November 27, 2016.
After the end of his term as U.S. President, Barack Obama becomes a cab driver.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump directs him: "To the White House, please"
Obama And NATO
Vk.com/13studiya, June 15, 2016
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6483, Russia This Week - June 13-20, 2016, June 24, 2016.
U.S. President Barack Obama: Here in Estonia we will defend our country from the stupid and mean Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin: What's the capital of Estonia?
Obama: London?
Putin: And now you get one last chance...
Obama Portrayed As ISIS’ Supporter
Vitaly Podvitsky, Ria.ru, August 3, 2016.
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6665, Russia This Week - Part II - October 30 - November 4, 2016, November 3, 2016.
U.S. President Barack Obama dressed as Santa Claus meets with terrorists, who ask for new military equipment.
The Meme
Katyusha.org
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6729, Russia This Week – December 27, 2016-January 5, 2017, January 5, 2017.
Obama's parting sting: Palymyra seized by [ISIS] fighters whom America pushed out of Mosul.
Pushkov’s Tweet Storm
Senator @Alexey_Pushkov: "Obama is concluding his second term by sharp degradation in the relations with Russia and tense relations with China. [He] deserves a Cold War, rather than a [Nobel] Peace prize."
(Twitter.com/Alexey_Pushkov, October 5)
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6638, Russia This Week - October 5 - 10, 2016, October 9, 2016.
(Source: Twitter.com/Alexey_Pushkov, October 5, 2016)
Commenting on U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima on May 27, Pushkov wrote on his Twitter account: "Noble Laureate Obama is not going to apologize for U.S. atomic bombings on Japan. [Obama] talks about humanism for dumb asses. Obama [proved himself to be] the worthy successor of [U.S. President Harry] Truman."
(Lenta.ru, May 22)
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6445, Russia This Week - May 16-23, 2016, May 23, 2016.
Zakharova Dixit
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova is one of the most-quoted Russian officials. She has used her press conferences to flay Obama.
Zakharova’s portrait (Source: Facebook.com/maria.zakharova.167)
The Entire World Is Disgusted With Obama's Foreign Policy
The Barack Obama administration’s foreign policy over the eight years of Obama’s presidency "evokes the aversion of the entire world," Zakharova said.
"I think this man [Obama] and his team - naturally, speaking about the man we mean the team which has proven to be bad for all on the global arena," she said in an interview with the Sunday Evening weekly news roundup on the Rossiya-1 television channel.
"I think this eight-year office that served under the slogan of their exclusiveness evoked aversion of the entire world. They have failed to fulfill their obligations taken before some countries, they have failed to fulfill what they were commissioned to, including by the American people on the global arena," Zakharova said.
According to the Russian diplomat, from a "moral point of view" the Obama team is guilty of committing a "crime" by demonstrating that "the stronger has unlimited rights to do evil." "Such is this administration's historical legacy," she added.
(Tass.com, January 4)
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6729, Russia This Week – December 27, 2016-January 5, 2017, January 5, 2017.
Reactions To Obama's Final Address To The UN General Assembly
Vk.com/13studiya, August 3, 2016.
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6559, Russia This Week - August 1 - 8, 2016, August 7, 2016.
The dove of peace poops on U.S. President Barack Obama's shoulder, while Russian President Vladimir Putin laughs at him.
On September 20, Obama delivered his final address to the United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, Obama accused Russia of “attempting to recover lost glory through force” and warned Moscow that “to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors” will diminish Russia’s stature and make its “borders less secure.”
Commenting on Obama’s speech, Senator Konstantin Kosachev, said: "Obama mentioned Russia twice - and twice erred in his assessments. Russia is not striving to restore the empire and its 'former glory.' Russia stands for its position in the world - the position of equal rights and sovereign partnership for all, who are prepared to cooperate in solving global contemporary issues. Moreover, Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of neighboring states - the responsibility for the destabilization there in all cases rests upon local leaders or on opposition supported from abroad ( by the same Americans), but not on Russia."
(Ria.ru, September 20, 2016)
Kosachev also added on his FB page that Obama's speech was three times longer than the allotted time in minutes. Kosachev aso said that Obama used a teleprompter and looked more like a "preacher" than a president. Kosachev then wrote: "Apparently, [his] time is running out, but he still wants to go down in history in a positive way... It's a pity, there was nothing positive [n his speech]... His speech was more restrained than in previous year - in comparison to 'threat number 2' [In his speech last year speech before the UNGA, Obama referred to Russia as threat number two to the world order]." Kosachev also wrote that there was a feeling of something left unsaid: "It's a pity that so much time was wasted by the Americans (and will still be wasted) in a vain attempt to persuade [others] of their special responsibility for the world's fate. The world did not become a better place during the last 8 years of Obama's presidency."
(Ria.ru, September 20, 2016)
Nikita Podgornyh wrote in his column, titled "Obama's Russian Fetish" in Life.ru: "Right, correct, the Supreme Commander of the largest army in the world, whose budget runs into hundreds of billions of dollars, which has military bases in nearly every corner of the world, accuses Russia of taking actions from a position of force... Thank you, Mr. President, for not saying openly and blatantly that we should sit quietly by and not hinder the hegemon in 'introducing democracy' wherever he so desires. They [the Americans] really loved the myth of world supremacy. Now every year brings increased enlightenment. They have almost reached the 'post withdrawal' point. Like the final convulsions of a sick man. How do you live in a world, where you have to take the opinion of other countries into consideration? How do you live in a world, where the opponent may give a robust response...? That may be considered the main foreign policy achievement of Obama's 8 years: the inability to build relations with a strong opponent who has his own opinion."
(Life.ru, September 21, 2016)
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6632, Russia This Week - September 20-28, 2016, September 28, 2016.
Strange But True
"Little Obama" Ice Cream Bar For Sale In The Russian Republic Of Tatarstan
A chocolate ice cream popsicle sold in the Russian republic of Tatarstan has been named after U.S. President Barack Obama. The ice cream, called Obamka (Little Obama), has recently appeared in shops. A vodka called Putinka, named after Russian President Vladimir Putin, was launched in Russia back in 2003.
(Themoscowtimes.com, May 5, 2016)
Source: Themoscowtimes.com, May 5, 2016.
Vk.com/13studiya, May 5, 2016.
Obama is eating 'Obamka' ice cream, while in the middle of the table stands a bottle of 'Putinka' vodka.
Obama: "Can someone explain to me why 'Putinka' is a vodka, and 'Obamka' is just an ice cream bar?"
Man: "I would venture that vodka gives you hope and makes you into a hero, and ice cream... ice cream is chocolate coated [a snide reference to Obama's skin color]"
See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6432, Russia This Week - May 9-16, 2016, May 16, 2016.
