Former California governor and body building legend Arnold Schwarzenegger has released an impassioned video on Twitter, calling on Vladimir Putin to stop his attack on Ukraine.
In a nine minute long video, he also appealed to the Russian people, telling them they were being fed misinformation about the reasons for the onslaught.
"Ukraine did not start this war, neither did nationalists or Nazis," he said. "This is not the Russian people's war."
He spoke of his love for the Russian people, and how weightlifter Yuri Petrovich Vlasov was his hero as a youngster.
His is one of the few accounts followed by the Kremlin's official Twitter profile.
"The strength and the heart of the Russian people have always inspired me. That is why I hope that you will let me tell you the truth about the war in Ukraine and what is happening there.
"No one likes to hear something critical of their government, I understand that. But as a longtime friend of the Russian people, I hope that you will hear what I have to say."
He also spoke of his father who was injured at Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) fighting for the Nazis.
"When my father arrived in Leningrad, he was all pumped up on the lies of his government," he said.
"When he left Leningrad, he was broken – physically and mentally. He lived the rest of his life in pain. Pain from a broken back, pain from the shrapnel that always reminded him of those terrible years, and pain from the guilt that he felt.
"To the Russian soldiers listening to this broadcast, you already know much of the truth that I'm speaking. You've seen it in your own eyes. I don't want you to be broken like my father."
And his message for Putin?
"You can stop this war."


















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