Amid the intensifying Ukraine crisis, a clip from the popular American television show, ‘The Simpsons‘ has started doing the rounds, with many Twitter users claiming that the series foretold the unfurling events. The clip, from 1998 shows the return of the Soviet Union and the Cold War. 

The clip is from the episode ‘Simpsons Tide’, which aired in March 1998, when Boris Yelstin was president. Here, Homer Simpson, the protagonist goes off to fight in the US navy and exchanges fire with a Russian submarine, Vox reported. 

Not only do we see the Berlin wall being resurrected in the short clip, but Vladimir Lenin’s corpse also awakens in a zombie-like fashion, vowing to crush capitalism. However, the chilling laughter as Russia tells the US that they’d been deceived in thinking the Soviet Union had split up, is what has grabbed eyeballs. Notably, Russian president Vladimir Putin has stayed resolute in demanding Ukraine’s entry into NATO be blocked, and the organization should reduce their military presence in eastern Europe. 

Also Read | Vladimir Putin’s moves on Ukraine ‘savvy’ and ‘genius’: Donald Trump

However, this clip first surfaced in 2014, when Russia’s annexation of Crimea sparked fears that Putin aimed to reunite the erstwhile Soviet Union. Now, with the threat to Ukraine, these fears have worsened. 

At present, Russia faces sanctions from a host of nations since Putin recognized pro-Russian separatist territories in Ukraine as independent. However, Russia has rubbished any plans to invade and has accused the US and other NATO countries of sparking hysteria as a way to place their troops at the Russian border. Currently, the situation has become dire enough that Russia has asked its country people in Ukraine to evacuate, while Ukraine has warned its people in Russia of interrupted consular services in the event of an invasion.  

Also Read | Unity, clarity and conviction: US President Joe Biden’s formula to counter Russia’s actions in Ukraine

Uncannily, ‘The Simpsons’ has predicted the future accurately before. This includes Donald Trump’s presidency, which was shown as a fictional run. The series also predicted that Disney would acquire 20th Century Fox.