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By Jon Jackson
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A calendar being sold by a charity that supports veterans of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) contains startling images such as a Russian soldier poised for war outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The Moscow Times on Friday reported about the calendar, which is selling for 5,228 rubles ($57.80) on the online marketplace Ozon. The news outlet wrote that the calendar's "content offers a glimpse into the hyper-militarized, pro-war imagery that has shaped many Russians' outlooks, and comes amid historic lows in relations with the West over the war in Ukraine."
Western nations, especially the Untied States, have provided billions of dollars in aid and military support to Ukraine as the country defends itself from the invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. Putin has since blamed the West for the conflict, claiming countries like the U.S. incited tensions between Russia and Ukraine. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has called Putin a "pure thug" and a "murderous dictator."
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Proceeds from sales of the 2024 calendar will reportedly go to veterans of the FSB, which is considered to be the security agency that succeeded the Soviet Union's KGB.
One image that has elicited outrage on social media shows an armed Russian soldier standing outside the U.S. Capitol. Smoke billows around the building as aircraft circle overhead. The image is used for November, the month that will see the next U.S. presidential election.
Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, shared a couple of the more notable pictures from the calendar—including the one of the U.S. Capitol—on X, formerly Twitter.
Other artwork in the calendar includes Putin with exaggerated muscles and a T-shirt emblazoned with the pro-war "Z" symbol. Other pictures show Russian soldiers caring for women, children a cat and Cheburashka. (A popular fictional character, Cheburashka has been referred to as the "Russian Mickey Mouse.")
For December, the calendar uses an image of a Russian bear standing in front of a tornado. According to the Kyiv Post, a banner in front of the bear reads: "It's not important who is against you, it's important who is with you!"
The Moscow Times cited comments made by Nikolai Guryev, chairman of the veterans support fund, while talking with the Russian website Bloknot, as he downplayed the notion that the image of the U.S. Capitol could be interpreted as a threat.
"I wanted to convey to the audience that we have a strong country and a strong leader," Guryev said, according to The Moscow Times' translation. "That this won't end well for the United States, and this is what could happen to this wonderful country because of those who run it so incompetently."
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