Clip of Lindsey Graham Saying ‘Russians Are Dying’ Misleadingly Edited

On Friday, May 26, Senator Lindsey Graham became the latest U.S. politician to visit Kyiv following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the capital and expressing his support for Ukraine’s resistance.

But during his trip, the South Carolina Republican also became an unwitting participant in the information war between Moscow and Kyiv after a comment of his was taken out of context and weaponized by propaganda on both sides to promote respective narratives.

“And the Russians are dying,” Graham appears to comment in a short clip of his interaction with the Ukrainian leader, before seemingly adding: “Best money we’ve ever spent.”

Newsweek Misinformation Watch investigated the claims and counter-claims around the viral soundbite.

The clip, first published on a Ukrainian government Telegram channel on Friday, May 26, was quickly pounced on by Russian government officials, who condemned the “incendiary” rhetoric, with President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling Graham’s remarks a “shame” for the United States.

Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs proceeded to place the South Carolina Republican on a wanted list after accusing him of praising the deaths of Russians in the Ukraine war.

“Graham, Lindsey Olin, American, born July 9, 1955, is wanted under the article of the Criminal Code,” the Russian Interior Ministry said, according to news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti.

The comment also fueled a furious response from Russian political leaders and propagandists, with some even hinting at a possible assassination of the U.S. senator.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former president, in a Telegram tirade, claimed that in the U.S., “dirty money” is spent on “killing senators.”

And RT chief Margarita Simonyan in her Telegram post referenced a Soviet operative involved in the assassination of exiled Leon Trotsky, concluding it with what appeared to be a veiled threat: “I hope that in our country, the sons or grandchildren of Sudoplatov are alive, his pupils, or the descendants of his pupils. It’s not even hard. We have his address.”

Meanwhile, multiple pro-Ukraine channels and outlets were quick to quote Graham in an effort to stoke patriotic sentiment and mock the “invaders.”

“American Senator Lindsey Graham during his meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called the death of Russians a good way to spend U.S. money,” NEXTA Telegram channel wrote on Friday.

“That’s our guy,” a pro-Ukraine Twitter account wrote on Sunday, May 28.

The clip has since also been picked up and shared by former President Donald Trump’s supporters and voices on the right, gathering millions of views over the weekend.

But as the backlash against Graham escalated, it soon emerged that his comments were misleadingly edited in the short clip, which conflated different comments.

A longer version of the conversation, which was released by the Ukrainian government and published by Reuters, among others, shows that the two remarks—framed as part of the same comment—were in fact unrelated.

In the first part, Zelensky thanks the United States and allies for their “bipartisan support” of Ukraine, stating that America’s support since the start of the invasion exceeded “$38 billion.”

To that, Graham replies: “The best money we’ve ever spent,” adding that this is “467th day of a war that was supposed to last three days.” The latter comment appears to hark back to Putin’s alleged pre-war goal of “taking Kyiv in three days.”

Later in the conversation, the following exchange occurs:

Graham: “You remind me of our better selves in America. There was a time when we were this way fighting to the last person. Free or die.

Zelensky: “Free or die. Now you are free. And we will be [too].

Graham: “…And the Russians are dying.

Zelensky: “Yes, but they came to our territory, we are not fighting on their territory.”

Graham himself has since confirmed that his comments were misrepresented in the video, clarifying to Reuters that he had simply praised the spirit of Ukrainians in resisting a Russian invasion with assistance provided by Washington.

Graham said he had mentioned to Zelensky “that Ukraine has adopted the American mantra, ‘Live Free or Die.’ It has been a good investment by the United States to help liberate Ukraine from Russian war criminals.”

After being placed on Russia’s wanted list, the senator reaffirmed his commitment to stand with Ukraine, noting that he will wear the arrest warrant as a “badge of honor.”

“I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor,” Graham said in a statement on Monday.

“To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy. I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory.”

The Kremlin appeared to be unmoved by the correction, however, with Russia’s state-run news agency Tass citing a rebuttal from Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Monday

“American and British media are trying to convince Russia that supposedly, Senator Graham’s statement was taken out of context, even edited by the Kyiv regime,” Zakharova commented.

“We have not heard a word of any condemnation against the Kyiv regime,” she added.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Zelensky’s office via a website contact form, and to Graham and the Russian Foreign Ministry via email.

This case marks the latest example of how public statements can be ripped out of context and weaponized for propaganda purposes in a conflict that has entered its 16th month.

Earlier this month, a viral clip of testimony by General Christopher Cavoli, the commander of U.S. forces in Europe, was edited misleadingly to suggest he believed that “Russia was winning the war in Ukraine.”

And last year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was misquoted as promising “the return of the Soviet Union.”