Top official has pledged to “persecute” Russians “always and everywhere,” falling in with Kiev spy chief’s murder threats
An adviser to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Mikhail Podoliak has declared that his country “hates” Russian citizens and will persecute them “always and everywhere.” The remark came after Moscow complained to the UN about a confession by Kiev’s military intelligence chief, who admitted that his service carries out targeted assassinations.
Podoliak unleashed an angry tirade against Russia on Twitter on Thursday. He was reacting to Moscow’s rebuke of General Kirill Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service GUR, who told journalists earlier this week that his agents had murdered some Russian public figures and pledged that they “will keep killing Russians anywhere on the face of this world.”
The Russian mission to the UN called Budanov’s remarks an example of flagrant hate speech, which Podoliak agreed with, arguing that there was nothing wrong with it.
“So? Yes, Ukraine hates you. Yes, we will persecute you. Always and everywhere,” he pledged. He accused Russia of “whining” at the UN and called it “a state of serial killers.”
“Yes, Ukraine will get each and every one of you, whether legally or physically,” Podoliak added. “And stop exploiting the UN – undeniable war criminals have no international law.”
Russian officials accuse Kiev of having masterminded a number of “terrorist attacks” on its soil, including the bombing of the Crimean Bridge, the assassinations of journalist Darya Dugina and of blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, and the attempted murder of writer Zakhar Prilepin.
Kiev didn’t claim credit for any of those crimes, though Western media reported that Ukraine’s backers in Washington agreed with Moscow’s attributions in some of the cases. According to The Washington Post, Western officials secretly admire Budanov, but say “his audacity sometimes makes them nervous.”
Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, argued that Budanov’s latest remarks confirm that he has employed terrorists, and also accused nations that support Kiev of becoming accomplices, over their failure to call this out.
