Modern Talking or Kremlin Talking: How Russia Is Using Nostalgia in the War Against Ukraine

"You’re my heart, you're my soul" – millions of people danced to this hit in Soviet apartments. For our parents – and for many of us – Modern Talking, Al Bano, Mireille Mathieu, and Commissioner Cattani from the TV series *The Octopus* were symbols of the beautiful, free, and unattainable West.

But did you know that for decades, the Kremlin had been buying off these artists with generous fees, private corporate parties, state orders, and personal audiences with presidents, and when Russia launched a bloody, full-scale war against Ukraine, it was time to “cash in”?

Why is Dieter Bohlen openly calling on Europe to disarm Ukraine, claiming it supposedly “has no chance against Russia”? How did it happen that Michele Placido, a screen-time fighter against the mafia, supported international war criminals in real life? And why did Goran Bregović perform his hit “Kalashnikov” in Moscow just days before people began being killed with this weapon in Bucha?

24 Channel exposes Kremlin tactics in collaboration with the Institute for Cognitive Defense.

Forgotten Stars or Active Agents of Influence

A typical Soviet kitchen: a “Vesna” or “Mayak” cassette player sits on the windowsill, blaring “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul” by Modern Talking. Dieter Bohlen and Thomas Anders would become the faces of that very same unattainable West, as seen on the covers of contraband magazines.

Pins and wall calendars featuring Western stars – the first cooperatives of the “Perestroika” era made a fortune off these scarce goods. Thirsty after decades behind the “Iron Curtain,” the Soviet public bought anything that featured images of the new and accessible Western pop sex symbols. And young men and women, as best they could and with whatever they had on hand, cosplayed as these stars.

All these songs had one thing in common – they came from “that side,” where, it seemed, people lived differently: vibrantly, freely, happily. And this emotional attachment hasn’t gone anywhere. “Ah, nostalgia,” say those over 50 sometimes. But they recall the powerful emotional charge carried by the performers of that era.

That is precisely why, for decades, the Kremlin has systematically invested in maintaining personal, financial, and symbolic ties with the stars of the past. Russia offered them generous fees, grand prizes at festivals, state receptions, and audiences with Putin. In return, it received loyalty, which, during the full-scale war against Ukraine, translated into a tangible propaganda effect.

The self-serving motives here are mutual. The artists get an audience and money; Moscow gets public “proof” that Russia is not isolated from the world. And the “real West” – not those who impose sanctions, but these people who still visit the Russians, still love them, and still want “peace.”

Al Bano and Concerts in Honor of “Peace”

The Italian Albano Carrisi, known by his stage name Al Bano, is perhaps the most striking example. For the Soviet generation, he was a symbol of romance and the Mediterranean sun, which was unattainable at the time. For the Kremlin, he is a convenient tool for normalizing the war.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture has added Al Bano to a list of 147 individuals who pose a threat to national security. He has publicly referred to Crimea as Russian and has repeatedly praised the Russian leader.

I’ve known Putin since 1986, when he was head of the KGB and came personally to greet us… I performed in front of Putin four times. I really liked him,” the singer proudly states that he sang for the bloodthirsty dictator, whom he considers the “head of the KGB.”

This Italian singer’s reaction to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a prime example of the Kremlin’s so-called “moderate” narrative: “Putin, with all the good things he’s done for Russia… is now forcing his people to cross a country called Ukraine in tanks.”

Al Bano justifies Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – watch the video:

The claim about “Putin’s good deeds” is key. For an international audience watching RT or reading Kremlin-affiliated outlets, this phrase means: “Putin is good”; he was simply forced to be “bad,” which aligns with the narrative promoted by the Kremlin.

Modern Talking or Kremlin Talking

The founder of Modern Talking, German singer and producer Dieter Bohlen, has been popular for decades. In 2022, he condemned the war launched by Russia but at the same time spoke out against supplying weapons to Ukraine. The “conflict,” he argued, cannot be resolved by military means.

Just a year later, Bolen would directly call on Europe to “stop feeding the arms factories and establish a dialogue with Putin.” His message is this: war is evil, so stop supporting the victim of aggression – Ukraine.

This is a classic form of manipulation, in which the problem is clearly defined but the advice for solving it is flawed. These calls not only fail to lead to peace but also justify and encourage aggression on Russia’s part.

Dieter Bohlen is capitalizing on the immense popularity he gained in Russia in the late 1980s to benefit Putin / photo – Pinterest

In subsequent interviews, the musician refers to the cooperation between Berlin and Moscow as a “dream team” and openly criticizes the cooling of relations between Germany and Russia. He frequently promotes another well-known Kremlin narrative – namely, that “Ukraine doesn’t stand a chance against Russia.”

For the Kremlin, Dieter Bohlen’s statements are valuable propaganda material aimed at domestic audiences in Russia, Germany, and Europe as a whole, which fits seamlessly into a systematic effort to undermine support for Ukraine among citizens of Germany and other EU countries.

Kalashnikov in Moscow on the Eve of the Invasion

In February 2022, Goran Bregović performed the song “Kalashnikov” in Moscow. Within a few days, Ukrainians in Bucha would be killed with this very weapon.

Bregović is a Bosnian musician whose “wedding-and-funeral” melodies from Emir Kusturica’s films have become a Balkan cultural hallmark in Europe and around the world. The Kremlin has long leveraged his popularity in the former Soviet Union and the Balkans to expand its influence.

Bregović continues to perform in Russia / photo – Russian media

In 2014, Bregović openly supported Russia’s occupation of Crimea. A year later, he performed in occupied Sevastopol, where he claimed that the Balkans had always felt “Russia’s greatness,” while the West allegedly displays “paranoia” toward the Kremlin.

He continues to actively tour the world with these narratives. At the same time, Bregović lives in Paris, not in Russia, where, in his view, everything is so wonderful.

Mireille Mathieu: “My friendship with him is personal”

Among French artists with ties to the Kremlin, Mireille Mathieu holds a special place. An icon of French pop music who filled stadiums in the Soviet Union, she has performed on Red Square on multiple occasions, and Putin personally received her at the Kremlin.

Even after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she called for “diplomacy and a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.” She never once referred to the aggressor by name.

Commissioner Cattani in the Service of Russia’s “Octopus”

Those who watched Soviet television in the 1980s surely know who Michele Placido is. After all, he is none other than Commissioner Cattani from the series “The Octopus” – one of the most popular foreign TV series in the Soviet Union.

An upright police officer fighting the mafia. A symbol of justice who lost everything in his life for the sake of the truth. It is with this image that Placido entered the cultural memory of millions of people.

And he is among those who openly supported Putin’s aggressive foreign policy. He spoke at events where he legitimized Moscow’s position, for which he was added to the list of individuals posing a threat to national security in December 2018.

In real life, the actor turned out to be less principled than his character / Screenshot from a post by Russian propagandists

"The Taming of the Shrew" in the Kremlin’s Favor

Italian actress Ornella Muti Along with Adriano Celentano, she was the main sex symbol for Soviet audiences, and because of her love for Russia, she was even indirectly convicted of fraud.

In 2010, Muti forged a medical certificate to cancel a theater performance in Italy so she could instead fly to St. Petersburg for a charity event hosted by Putin.

She later openly stated that she wants to obtain Russian citizenship (claiming she has Russian roots, which is a lie – her mother is Estonian of German descent – 24 Channel), owns an apartment in Moscow, and during a full-scale war, she continues to visit Russia (for example, for Moscow Fashion Week), ignoring European Union sanctions.

Ornella Mkti dances with her daughter on Red Square:

The actress publicly claims that politics has nothing to do with her, but through her actions she helps the Kremlin create the illusion that there is no isolation and “normalizes” the perception of the aggressor country.

The Fall of the “Wild Angel”

In the 1990s, the Argentine TV series “Wild Angel” broke all viewership records in the post-Soviet space. Uruguayan actress Natalia Oreiro, who played the orphan Milagros, became the idol of millions of teenagers.

The actress set about actively capitalizing on her popularity in a distant country. For years, she toured Russia, recorded songs in Russian, and in 2021, Putin personally granted her and her son Russian citizenship.

When the full-scale invasion began, she posted a black square on her website with the words “No to War” in two languages, but that was the extent of her “pacifism.”

Ms. Oreyro is delighted to have received a Russian passport / photo – the actress’s Instagram

Oreiro has not renounced her Russian passport, has not condemned the Kremlin’s actions, and remains a symbol to the Russian audience that “even distant Latin America loves Russia.”

“Taxi,” which took a wrong turn

Another character everyone knows: Sami Naceri – the actor from Luc Besson’s cult French film “Taxi.” In his white “Peugeot,” he was a favorite of millions of post-Soviet viewers.

Due to his scandalous behavior, legal troubles in France, and a fading career, Naseri found refuge and easy money in Russia. He visited occupied Crimea, participated in local film festivals, claimed that“everything is wonderful in Crimea and people are happy,” and even planned to shoot a movie there.

Nasseri himself was forced to travel to occupied Crimea for money, thereby giving Russian propaganda a huge gift / photo – Russian media

Russian propaganda made the most of the “Taxi Driver” brand to legitimize the occupation of Ukrainian territories in the eyes of ordinary citizens. This is yet another recognizable hallmark of Russian information operations – the normalization of war crimes, often through the authority of Western celebrities.

“The Universal Soldier” on a Peacekeeping Tightrope

Jean-Claude Van Damme did not openly support the war, but he repeatedly expressed sympathy for Russian dictator Putin.

Recently, Van Damme publicly addressed the Kremlin, calling Putin a good friend, praising his past actions, sending kisses, and asking to become an ambassador of peace.

This case is more complex than previous ones, but no less useful for the propaganda information space. Such appeals, made without demanding the complete withdrawal of Russian troops, are fully in line with Moscow’s interests, and the disregard for the facts of war crimes makes these statements convenient for Russian disinformation.

Nostalgia – Russia’s Weapon

All the cases described above share a common structure. The Kremlin exploits the long-standing emotional bond between the performer and the audience, particularly the Russian audience. And since the cult of the Soviet Union is part of modern Russia’s national identity, the vast majority of Russians feel nostalgic for the “Soviet era.”

When Al Bano, Modern Talking, or any other “voice of youth” appears on screen and speaks out “for peace” or against sanctions, the audience – say, in Russia, partly in Ukraine or Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia, or among a certain segment of former Eastern Bloc immigrants in Germany, perceives this through the prism of “kindred spirits.”

This reflex is far more effective than any direct propaganda: it activates a loyalty forged over decades, dating back to the youth of those who listened to “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul” on old cassette players.

By using nostalgia for foreign pop and film stars – well known from the Soviet and post-Soviet past – to influence the mass consciousness, the Kremlin simultaneously reaches three major audiences.

To the Western world, these stars speak as if they were its own citizens – people who supposedly have known the Russian public longer and better, and therefore allegedly have a different perspective on modern Russia and its leadership.

Through their pro-Russian statements and actions, they justify the Kremlin’s criminal policies and suggest viewing them not as aggression, but as defense or retaliatory measures against the allegedly inappropriate actions of NATO and EU countries.

In other words, they distort reality and argue that the situation is actually the opposite – Russia is the victim, while the Western bloc countries are aggressors who constantly harass Moscow. This creates an image of Russia as an innocent victim living a peaceful, romantic life but forced to defend itself. And to avert the threat of a major war, all one needs to do is comply with Russia’s demands and refrain from supporting those with whom it is currently at war.

Stars of the past aren’t afraid to lose face to secure their own livelihoods. The Russians need people like this to create and spread propaganda / photo – Kremlin

The argument goes that Russia hasn’t attacked anyone and doesn’t intend to; it’s merely defending itself. All one has to do is comply with Moscow’s ultimatum, and all the troubles will end instantly. These pop culture stars only reinforce in the West what Putin and his cronies have said. They lend credibility to their words – that is, outright lies – by citing their long-standing ties to the Russian audience and their supposedly deeper understanding of Russia.

For audiences in Ukraine and other countries that have emerged from the Soviet bloc, Western pop and film stars of the 1980s serve as a nostalgic emotional trigger.

In the context of pro-Russian statements by these nostalgic stars, pleasant memories and associations will soften the audience’s attitude toward the belligerent policies of the modern Kremlin, and create, in the minds of the older population of Eastern European countries, a basis for seeking justifications, understanding, and sympathy for the Russian leadership – which in reality threatens, intimidates, or is already committing acts of harm against them.

Since modern national identity in Russia draws inspiration from the legacy of the Soviet Union, absolutely everything in the memory of the average Russian associated with that period holds sacred significance.

If, for example, Al Bano and Dieter Bohlen consistently demonstrate loyalty to the Kremlin and Russia, then through their influence they subtly encourage Russians to submit to the Kremlin regime and carry out all its orders. This is how the technique of transforming nostalgia into mass influence over the consciousness of the domestic Russian audience works.

Modern Talking Dancing to the Kremlin’s Tune. How Russia Uses Western Stars to Justify Its Crimes – watch the video: