Russian State TV Host Calls to Scrap Christmas Trees, Send Money to Army

A Russian TV host has called for money typically used on Christmas trees and decorations to be spent on equipping the country's military.

Sergey Mardan urged officials to do away with winter celebrations as Ukrainian forces continued their push into Russian-held territory. Kyiv's forces have made significant gains in recent weeks, including taking back the strategically important city of Lyman alongside numerous town and villages in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier this week, the bridge that links the Crimean peninsula to Russia was largely destroyed in an explosion.

While Kyiv has not claimed responsibility, the explosion is a strategic blow for Vladimir Putin which will affect Russian operations in the region.

With Ukraine's continuing to retake territory and with a Russian military increasingly facing manpower and equipment losses, Mardan encouraged citizens to make some sacrifices this holiday season.

According to Russian Media Monitor, Mardan said: "Do we need a loud, festive and beautiful celebration of New Year 2023, the way we're accustomed to, or will we have to abstain? Perhaps this money could be sent to the front and spent to buy winter uniforms and thermal scopes?"

The host continued: "Do you need a beautiful, festive Christmas tree in the main square of your city? It will cost at least several million rubles. Do you need garlands that cost tens of millions?

"Will you need those in December of 2022? From the start of the special military operation, federal TV channels got rid of entertainment content they did away with almost all of it. They're delivering nonstop news broadcasting. Isn't that normal? Yes.

"Mayors of certain Russian cities officially said, 'we won't spend municipal budgets on the debauchery known as the New Year's in the situation where war is ongoing. When Russia is sending 300,000 mobilized men to war, taken out of their normal, peaceful lives."

He added: "To put it mildly, this is no time to celebrate. [It's] not the time for that. Naturally, St. Petersburg was getting ready to have a festive New Year, but they halted that. People understood it's not the right time and stopped."

On October 7 St. Petersburg officially canceled its traditional Christmas and New Year celebrations. In a statement the city's Governor Alexander Beglov said: "All available funds will be channeled into a special Saint Petersburg [account] stipulating extra outfit and gear for volunteers and mobilized citizens."

Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has remained silent following the explosion that caused a partial collapse of the bridge between Crimea and Russia.

Moscow has not yet apportioned blame for the explosion but Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Kyiv's "reaction towards [the] destruction of civilian infrastructure is a testament to its terrorist nature."