By Brendan Cole
Copyright newsweek
Russian officials allied with Vladimir Putin have responded to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, by blaming the left and Ukraine supporters for political violence in the U.S.Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev and Kirill Dmitriev, a key Kremlin negotiator with the Trump administration over Ukraine, weighed in on the shooting of Kirk, founder of the right-leaning youth organization Turning Point USA.Kirk was popular in Russia for his anti-NATO stance and criticism of Ukraine’s President Zelensky. Medvedev linked the murder to supporters of Kyiv while Dmitriev reposted a video showing alleged leftists “in full celebration mode over Kirk getting shot.”A manhunt for the killer is ongoing and no motive has been confirmed. The Russian officials’ posts come amid an outpouring of condemnation across the political divide for the killing of Kirk.Mark Shanahan, a U.S. politics expert from the University of Surrey in England told Newsweek that Kirk’s killing showed “an already febrile America is now even more on the edge.”Why It MattersKirk, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and key MAGA figure, had been critical of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he once described as a “puppet of the CIA” and had previously said that “the political left is normalizing violence.”Medvedev has used social media to attack the West and push Kremlin narratives condemning its support for Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion. His latest post, as well as Dmitriev’s, appear to exploit U.S. political divisions, particularly around Ukraine.What To KnowKirk was fatally shot during his “American Comeback Tour” on Thursday at Utah Valley University in what officials are calling a “political assassination.”American political figures on both the left and right condemned the killing, including Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom.Medvedev, who was Russian president between 2008 and 2012 and is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, linked Kirk’s murder to what he called “a variety of left-wing liberal scum who support Banderite” Kyiv.Banderite refers to Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera and is pejoratively used by the Kremlin against the government in Kyiv to falsely paint it as having Nazi sympathies.Medvedev’s post also urged right-wing Americans “to realize that by supporting Ukraine, they’re supporting murderers.”Meanwhile, Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund reposted right-wing political commentator Ian Miles Cheong’s video montage that showed alleged leftists “in full celebration mode over Charlie Kirk getting shot.”Dmitriev also said “voices of light” cannot be silenced and separately retweeted a message from billionaire Elon Musk stating: “The Left is the party of murder.” He had previously praised Kirk for his positive comments about Russia.Shanahan added that Trump’s response to Kirk’s killing by blaming the “radical left” had “immediately raised the stakes” in political discourse.He said it raises the question over whether Trump can “talk the country down to peaceful engagement again or is this an excuse to ramp up his retributive agenda?”What People Are SayingDmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council on X: “Political crimes and assassinations have been carried out lately by a variety of left-wing liberal scum who support Banderite Kiev…Maybe it’s time for the MAGA team to realize that by supporting Ukraine, they’re supporting murderers.”Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund wrote on X: “For Charlie. Voices of Light will not be silenced” and reposted video by Ian Miles Cheong which said the left is in full celebration mode over Charlie Kirk getting shot. Thoughts?”Mark Shanahan, associate professor of political engagement, University of Surrey: “The shooting of Charlie Kirk shocks us, but is it really a surprise? Politics in the U.S. has never been so polarized since the American Civil War and the hyperpolarization has fueled evermore extreme rhetoric.”What Happens NextThe shooter remains at large and the FBI has launched a manhunt and is asking the public for information. Meanwhile, public figures across the political spectrum have called for unity against political extremism.
