The head of Russian state-controlled TV station RT calls for the assassination of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham following comments in which he appeared to revel in the deaths of Russians in the war with Ukraine .
In a meeting with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to kyiv on Friday, Zelensky told Graham, “now we are free.”
“And the Russians are dying,” Graham said with a smile, “That’s the best money we’ve ever spent.”
Margarita Simonovna Simonyan, 43, editor-in-chief of RT, took offense to Graham’s comments by citing the name of a Soviet lieutenant responsible for killing politicians during World War II.
“If Lady Graham really said that the money for the murder of the Russians is the best money the United States has ever spent… I hope that in our country, the sons or grandchildren of Sudoplatov [the Lieutenant] are alive, his pupils or the descendants of his pupils.
‘It’s not even difficult. We have his address, she threatened.
US Senator Lindsey Graham has made his third visit to Ukraine since its invasion by Russia last February. There he said killing the Russians was the best money the United States had spent
Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen alongside RT television editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, 43, in December 2022
“I have no ill will towards anyone and our religion tells us to forgive, but no one tells us to reward this stuff. When we do not act in response to these things, it amounts to encouraging them. It makes them more and more cheeky,” Simonyan continued.
Simonyan has been a fierce defender of President Vladimir Putin and said being the target of “vengeful Ukrainians” left him feeling “unpleasant”.
But it appears Graham’s comments were taken out of context.
In an unabridged version of the meeting between Graham and Zelensky, what the senator actually said was that sending American aid to Ukraine rather than actually killing the Russians was a valuable investment in security. world of the United States.
Graham told the Ukrainian president that the resistance shown reminded him of “our best self in America.” There was a time in America when we were like this, fighting to the last person, we were going to be free or die.
Russian officials, including Simonyan, condemned Graham for telling Ukrainian President Zelensky that the best money Washington had ever spent was because ‘Russians are dying’
However, it appears Graham’s comments may have been twisted or taken out of context in a longer version of the meeting. Graham is pictured in kyiv, Ukraine on Friday
Members of the clergy take part in a funeral ceremony to bury the remains of sixty servicemen of the Russian armed forces and three civilians, who were killed during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, in a cemetery in Luhansk, in Russian-controlled Ukraine, in the Beginning of the month.
Zelensky replied, “Now you are free – and we will be”, to which Graham added, “And the Russians are dying.”
Zelensky replied: “Yes, but they came to our territory. We are not fighting on their territory.
Other Russian officials were also quick to condemn Graham’s comments.
“It’s hard to imagine a greater disgrace to a country than to have such senators,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Shot Telegram as saying.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev called Graham, a 67-year-old Republican, a crazy old man.
“Old fool Senator Lindsey Graham said the United States has never spent money so successfully as on murdering Russians,” said Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev . ‘He shouldn’t have done that.
“In his beloved America, not only are ordinary people routinely killed, but dirty money is also spent killing senators. It should remember the sad fate of Robert Kennedy, Huey Long, Clementa Carlos Pinckney, John Milton Elliott, Wayne Owens and other American politicians,’ Medvedev said as he scrolled through a list of slain politicians.
Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov also expressed his anger.
“Your dirty American money also fully supported the Nazi regime in Germany! You are a Nazi beast and you are following in the footsteps of your predecessors. I repeat once again: you will croak, but the Russian people will live forever!
After the meeting, Graham urged the Joe Biden administration to funnel more aid to Ukraine
Graham said that in the next counteroffensive the Russian army would be unleashed on them.
On Sunday, Graham hit back at the anger shown by Russian officials.
“As usual, the Russian propaganda machine is hard at work,” Graham said in a statement, referring to Medvedev’s comments about his visit to Kiev, which he used to urge Washington to send more weapons to Russia. ‘Ukraine.
Graham said he mentioned to Zelenskiy “that Ukraine has embraced the American mantra ‘Live Free or Die.’ Russian war.
He added: ‘Mr. Medvedev, if you want Russians to stop dying in Ukraine, stand down. Stop the invasion. Stop war crimes. The truth is that you and (President Vladimir) Putin don’t care about Russian soldiers,” he said.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in comments on Twitter that the best investment the United States and the West could make was “in a complete and unconditional victory for Ukraine.”
