Kremlin Sets Official English Translation of Putin’s Phrase as ‘Swine Underlings’
The move resolves days of inconsistent media renderings by fixing the wording in the Kremlin’s English transcripts.
Overview
- As of Dec. 21, the Kremlin’s English website renders the phrase as “swine underlings.”
- The wording appears in transcripts of Putin’s Dec. 17 Defence Ministry speech and his Dec. 19 year-end remarks.
- Putin used the term to describe Europeans who, he said, joined a previous U.S. administration’s efforts hoping to profit from Russia’s collapse.
- Western media had circulated divergent translations, such as “little pigs” and “piglets,” prior to the Kremlin’s version.
- Russian outlets TASS and RIA flagged the inconsistency and noted that some foreign correspondents, including CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen, reported difficulty pinning down the meaning.