The RIA Novosti agency published an article titled “The capture of Artemovsk [the old name of Bakhmut used by the Kremlin propaganda] was called the biggest battle since World War II in the United States.” It cites the words of "ex-U.S. Senator" Richard Black, who told the agency:
“Russia has won the biggest battle in Europe since World War II. <…> Western media are in no hurry to admit the Ukrainian defeat, but it seems that Zelensky lost the city, suffering crushing losses in manpower and equipment.
However, Black did not limit himself to these enthusiastic epithets, in addition calling the battle “epic”, and also predicting that “the defeat will push the Ukrainian army to launch a large-scale offensive, the preparation of which has long been talked about a lot”, “although a search for peace could be a more reasonable way and stop further bloodshed.
It is impossible to directly refute Black's words. However, it is worth noting that although Russian forces claim to have taken Bakhmut, the Ukrainian side does not confirm this.
However, something else is troubling. First, Black was not a "U.S. senator" but merely a Virginia state senator. And secondly, this Republican politician is known for his scandalous statements and radical views.
For example, in December 2013, Black compared same-sex marriage to polygamy and incest, stating that while he opposes polygamy, "at least it functions biologically", adding that it is "simply more natural" than homosexuality.
The former Virginia senator has also spread conspiracy theories about Syria — in 2018, Black claimed on Al Mayadeen that the British intelligence service MI6 was planning a false flag chemical weapons attack on Syria, in which it would then lay the blame on the Syrian government. Al Mayadeen is closely associated with Hezbollah, a Lebanese organization designated as a terrorist organization in many Western countries, including the United States. And in 2016, Black met with Michel Aoun, a former Lebanese president who was in a coalition with Hezbollah.
In addition, the American politician is a big fan of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In April 2014, Black sent an official letter to Assad, thanking the "Syrian Arab Army for the heroic rescue of Christians in the Qalamoun mountain range", praising Assad for "respectful treatment of all Christians and the small Jewish community in Damascus", and stating that the rebels in largely fought "evil war criminals associated with al-Qaeda". This was not understood even by Black's party members: for example, Republican Senator Bill Stanley later joked : "What's the matter, Dick? Kim Jong Un didn't reply to your text messages?
Black also personally traveled to Syria to show support for Bashar al-Assad. By the way, in those reports, the Syrian state media also called him the “American senator.” Like Russian propagandists, they miss the obvious difference: Black is a state legislator, he plays no role in determining US foreign policy. However, then Black was at least the current senator of Virginia, and now he has completely retired and only gives comments to the Russian media. For example, he supports the version of journalist Seymour Hersh that the United States was involved in the explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Not surprisingly, pro-Kremlin propaganda makes frequent use of Black's claims. For example, he recently gave an interview to RT, claiming that the US "staged a coup d'état in Ukraine" in 2014. After that, a video began to circulate on social networks, in which an interview with a retired Virginia senator began to be presented as a “confession of a US senator.” "Confessions of a US Senator. We staged a coup d'état in Ukraine. Zelensky is a puppet. He does what he is told and when he is told. He is entirely a product of the media. Richard Black (right), Virginia,” read one of the most popular tweets, as Newsweek noted . At the same time, the video hid any affiliation with RT: fragments filmed in the studio were removed from it, as well as all banners and logos indicating that it was broadcast by the Kremlin TV channel.
Finally, it should be noted that Black's rhetoric regarding Bakhmut almost word for word repeats the comparisons of Russian state channels, which also compare the conquest of the city nothing less than the capture of Berlin by the Soviet army in 1945.