We're learning more here about a very personal message from Arnold Schwarzenegger who is extraordinarily popular inside Russia.

His plea direct to Russian soldiers.

What Schwarzenegger says about his own father and his message to Vladimir Putin tonight.

The question, of course, how many Russians will see and hear this?

Here's abc's matt Gutman tonight.

There's no way of knowing just how many Russians have seen the message from Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he is extraordinarily popular there.

And this was personal, his plea to stop the war.

I'm sending this message to various different channels to reach my dear Russian friends and the Russian soldiers serving in Ukraine.

He told the Russian people and soldiers, you are not being told the truth.

I asked you to help me spread the truth.

Let your fellow Russians know the human catastrophe that is happening in Ukraine, gentle and fatherly, the former California governor and actor begins with the story about his own boyhood hero.

A Russian, Yuri Vlasov, then the world's strongest man.

Let me just tell you about the Russian who became my hero In 1961.

When I was 14 years old, he reached out to shake my hand, he was kind and you smiled at me.

I would never forget the day, never his story.

A way to connect personally with the Russian soldiers and Schwarzenegger, just one of three american public figures followed by the Russian presidency on twitter and he has a message for President Putin President Putin.

I say you started this war, you're leading this war.

You can stop this war.

Schwarzenegger then telling Russian soldiers about his own father and the guilt he carried, fighting for the Nazis in World War II.

He says his dad came home a broken man.

He lived the rest of his life in pain.

Pain from a broken back, pain from the shrapnel that always reminded him of these terrible years.

The pain from the guilt that he felt.

Schwarzenegger closing by saying those brave enough to stand up to Putin and against this war, are his new heroes.

The world has seen your bravery.

We know that you have suffered the consequences of your courage.

You have to strength of yuri Petrovich floss off David, the White House telling us it did not direct Arnold Schwarzenegger to produce that video, A spokesman for the former governor saying it came from Arnold's heart, not the government.

Now, his team managing to post that video onto telegram, one of the few social media outlets that has managed to evade censorship in Russia, David.

It's so interesting that Schwarzenegger is followed by the Russian presidency.

Matt Gutman tonight, matt, thank you.

Hi everyone, George, Stephanopolous here.

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