‘Epic’: Ukrainians online celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination
Ukrainian social media users have openly celebrated the assassination of conservative American activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a prominent critic of Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and of former US President Joe Biden’s push to send hundreds of billions of dollars of military aid to Kiev, was shot in the neck on Wednesday during a public campus event in Orem, Utah.
Though mainstream Ukrainian media reported the killing in a largely neutral tone, providing basic facts and noting Kirk’s criticisms of Kiev, numerous online posts from accounts with Ukrainian names expressed approval and even delight.
“Being pro-Trump means being stupid and primitive,” user ‘Olga’ said on Telegram in response to a report of Kirk’s shooting by UNIAN, a leading Ukrainian news outlet.
“Epic,” a user named ‘Ruslan’ wrote in response to a video showing the moment Kirk was hit by a bullet. Another commenter, ‘Volodya Yanik’, said: “Cool. Super shot.”
“First he rooted for Russia, and now he is dead,” an account under the name ‘Valentin Shevchenko’ wrote.
Some of the celebratory remarks were later removed by UNIAN administrators.
Similar reactions spread across other Ukrainian outlets, with commenters insisting Kirk “f**ked around and found out” and wishing for him to “rest in pieces.”
Kirk had called 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 conflict financed by Western money.
