Here’s Why Russia Wants to Arrest Senator Lindsey Graham

The Russian government has issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham for remarks he made about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Russian officials described his comments as “incendiary” rhetoric.

The warrant came in response to an edited video of a meeting on Friday between the South Carolina senator and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at which Graham said “the Russians are dying” and called the U.S. military assistance to Ukraine as “the best money we’ve ever spent.” However, in the video, which Zelenskyy’s office released, the comments are edited as if he stated the phrases one after the other.

In response, Russia’s Investigative Committee said it was opening a criminal probe into the senator’s remarks, after which the country’s interior ministry placed Graham on a wanted list, though it did not identify the specific crime of which he is accused.

“It’s hard to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators,” said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Monday.

News commentators said Graham’s remarks were edited out of context in the video, but Graham didn’t seem bothered. In one of several tweets, he wrote, “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.”

Graham made his remarks during two separate portions of his meeting with Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian government later released the longer version of the video that corroborates this.

His comment about the “best money we’ve ever spent” came after a statement from Zelenskyy about the United States’ bipartisan support for Ukraine, which has exceeded $387 billion since the start of the invasion. Elsewhere in the conversation, Graham said the Ukranians reminded him of the slogan “Live Free or Die.” Zelenskyy said they would be free, and Graham said “and the Russians are dying.”

The Russian government said that if Graham feels he was taken out of context, he should publicly say so. “Only then will we know: Does he think the way that was said, or was it a performance by the Kyiv regime?” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Graham hasn’t publicly responded to that question.

Regardless of the context, Graham’s comments inspired several angry responses from Russian political leaders and supporters, with some “even hinting at a possible assassination” of Graham, according to Newsweek.

When discussing Graham, Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan referenced Pavel Sudoplatov, a Soviet operative who was involved in the assassination of exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. “I hope that in our country, the sons or grandchildren of Sudoplatov are alive, his pupils, or the descendants of his pupils,” Simonyan said. “It’s not even hard. We have his address.”

Graham, a Republican, is one of about 500 Americans who have been banned from entering Russia due to U.S. sanctions imposed against the country after its invasion of Ukraine. Several political figures, including Democrats, are among those banned, such as President Joe Biden and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Piere. Late night television hosts have also been banned, such as Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers.

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