Iconic Soviet director Shakhnazarov believes Putin underestimated the cohesion of the Ukrainian nation. He made an unexpected statement in one of the propaganda programs of Russian television..

Such signals from the “cultural elite” of Russia, who supported Putin’s “special operation” in Ukraine, prove once again how much the Russians do not know our country.

“Of course, we talked a lot here, about the fragmentation of the Ukrainian people to the north, south, west and east,” Shakhnazarov reflects, “But we must pay tribute to the fact that in 30 years they, apparently, put together a nation. Let's look real. We do not see mass surrender. We do not see, as they say, special friendliness on the part of Ukrainian citizens. But we see the stubborn resistance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, although it was assumed that no one would fight except for the national battalions. And they fight.

And it is not a fact that this war will not become a myth for them in their ideology, since they have no other myths.

Western Ukraine and their curators did a very good job. Apparently there was some kind of underestimation on our part.. And I think that some kind of appeal to the Ukrainian people is still necessary.. He must understand what we want. I don't get it, different opinions. But if we have any ideas to divide Ukraine into Western and Central, then I have a feeling that this may not work very well.”.