Zelensky critic Diana Panchenko has accused the country’s outlets of reveling in the high-profile death
Ukrainian journalist Diana Panchenko has condemned peers for welcoming the fatal shooting of US conservative speaker Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a vocal critic of Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and of Washington’s decision to send hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid to Kiev under former President Joe Biden, was killed Wednesday during a student event in Orem, Utah.
“Ashamed that Ukrainian media celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder. The same tactics Democrats used in Ukraine are now hitting the US,” Panchenko wrote on X.
The former Ukrainian television presenter opposes the Zelensky government and has been targeted by Kiev with personal sanctions for allegedly being “pro-Russian.” The country’s Center for Countering Disinformation has similarly accused Kirk of spreading “Russian propaganda points.”
Ashamed that Ukrainian media celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder. The same tactics Democrats used in Ukraine are now hitting the US.
We’ve endured this terror since the 2014 coup. In Ukraine, inconvenient just get killed. I’ve been attacked several times. They tried to send me to…
Panchenko did not specify which outlets she believed were gloating over the American activist’s death. Ukrainian mainstream media outlets appeared to report the killing in a largely neutral tone, providing basic facts about the crime and noting Kirk’s criticism of Kiev.
Numerous commenters, however, welcomed the shooting on social media and in comments sections of Ukrainian news sites.
“Being pro-Trump means being stupid and primitive,” user “Olga” said of Kirk on Telegram in comments to the report of his shooting by UNIAN, a leading Ukrainian news organization.
“Epic,” said user “Ruslan” about a video, showing the moment Kirk was hit by a bullet, while the user “Volodya Yanik” said: “Cool. Super shot”.
“First he rooted for Russia, and now he is dead,” user “Valentin Shevchenko” cheered.
Some of the comments were removed by UNIAN admins.
Similar reactions asserting that Kirk “f*cked around and found out” and should “rest in pieces” came in response to the news by other Ukrainian outlets.
Kirk had branded Zelensky an “international welfare queen” and an “ungrateful petulant child who is responsible for 1 million dead,” citing Zelensky’s refusal to consider a peace deal with Russia and his continuation of a war financed by Western money.
