Russian propagandist Baranchik called for the murder of the families of Ukrainian leaders
Russian propagandists are increasingly resorting to outright calls for terrorism amid the Russian military’s lack of significant progress on the front lines and its inability to protect its own infrastructure. The latest scandal was sparked by a statement from Russian state propagandist Yuri Baranchik, who suggested on live television that strikes be carried out against the families of Ukraine’s top leadership.
During his speech, Baranchik effectively admitted that Russia’s massive attacks on Ukrainian targets are failing to achieve their objectives, as Ukraine is quickly recovering from the strikes and continues to resist.
Against this backdrop, the propagandist called for violence against the family members of Ukrainian officials, specifically Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Kyrylo Budanov, and Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak.
In his statement, he openly called for the murder of the wives and children of Ukrainian officials, arguing that this was allegedly necessary to increase pressure on the country’s leadership.
“It seems to me that until we see specific victims—very specific names like Zelenskyy, Syrskyy, Budanov, Yermak, and their families—they must die. Probably Zelenskyy’s and Yermak’s children. I’ll just throw this thought out there. They lost a building, a bunker, a runway. So what? What did they lose? They didn’t lose a thing. They’ll rebuild it and launch a new strike in five minutes. Here’s the top brass—they should lose their children, that’s what I think. We need to strike at their wives, at their children, you understand?” Baranchik stated.
Such statements caused a wide public outcry, as they contain direct calls for violence against civilians and family members of government officials. The statement also became yet another example of the radicalization of Russian propaganda against the backdrop of the war against Ukraine.
Yuriy Baranchik called on live television for the targeted killing of the wives and children of Ukraine’s top leadership.
Russian propaganda is increasingly forced to move away from narratives about the “technological superiority” of the Russian army and acknowledge the real problems faced by the occupying forces on the front lines. Another example was a statement by one of the Kremlin’s most prominent propagandists, Alexander Sladkov, who effectively acknowledged the dominance of Ukrainian unmanned aerial systems on the battlefield.
Russia has learned to cynically use the international structures of the United Nations as a convenient cover for expanding its own geopolitical influence.
