Russian TV channels seem unfazed by the prospect of EU borders being closed to Russians, claiming that 69% of them have never left the country.

The discussion is opened by military analyst Ihor Korotchenko, who states that the Russians are outcasts on the international stage. “All we’re missing are the yellow stars,” he complains, referring to the Star of David, a symbol Jews were forced to wear prominently by Nazi Germany.

“Based on the filters that determine who is allowed and who is not allowed to visit certain destinations in Europe, Russians are not allowed. The process is progressing quickly. It is disgusting, but European politicians are starting to get involved in this,” he adds.

Recently, Korotchenko has become a favorite of Russian television, being an almost constant guest on the broadcasts of “Russia-1”. However, the current debate is taking place on Channel One, Russia’s most popular TV channel.

It was the Russian military analyst who said at the end of July that the Hungarian government headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will have to decide in the “coming months” whether it wants Ukrainian territories to be inhabited by ethnic Hungarians. Korotchenko also claimed that, unlike other states neighboring Ukraine, Hungary would not like to have too many Ukrainian territories.

Almost 70% of Russians have never left Russia

In what appears to be the next program broadcast by Channel One, economic analyst Tetyana Remezova intervenes, stating that “even if some restrictive measures are taken at the level of the European Union, most Russians will probably not notice it.”

“As a recent survey by the Public Opinion Foundation (an institute of the Russian state) showed, 69% of Russians have never traveled abroad,” she explains.

Another poll published in early August by the same “foundation” shows that 35% of Russians believe that the sun revolves around the earth.

Talks on the First Channel took place after Estonia and Finland appealed to the European Union on Tuesday to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens, which was supported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.

In an interview with The Washington Post, he called on Western countries to close their borders to Russian citizens for a year, saying that this measure would be the “most important” sanction and that Russians should be allowed to live in their own world.

The Latvian government announced last Friday that it is suspending the issuance of visas for Russians, except for citizens who want to attend the funeral of a close relative in Latvia.

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