Ukraine is doing its best to “kill as many Russians” as possible, the nation’s ambassador to Kazakhstan, Pyotr Vrublevsky, told local media outlets on Monday.
Speaking to a local blogger, Vrublevsky was asked to comment on the ongoing Ukraine conflict. “What can I say … We are trying to kill as many [Russians] as possible. The more Russians we kill now, the fewer our children will have to. That’s it,” he said.
The Ukrainian envoy’s remarks sparked anger in Russia, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accusing Kiev of ‘terrorist’ policies.
“Only an ambassador of a terrorist regime can say such things. The Kiev Nazis have been killing people for eight years silently and blaming Moscow for everything, but now they are openly talking about their ethnic cleansing plans,” she wrote on Telegram.
Earlier this month, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev accused Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky of taking a page out of Adolf Hitler’s playbook by calling for the collective punishment of all Russians. Medvedev was referring to a previous statement by Zelensky in which he suggested deporting all Russians – regardless of their political leanings or circumstances – from Western countries.
“Adolf Hitler tried to implement such ideas about an entire people,” the Russian official remarked. “Any more questions about the nature of the Ukrainian authorities?”