Recording was personal, went viral and became a piece of propaganda during the war in Europe, with accusations from both sides
Ukrainian actress Adrianna Kurilets Kmetyuk posted video on her social media profiles on April 10, saying she would kill all Russians. In the play, Kurilets appears dressed in an embroidered dress and a Ukrainian national headdress. She enacts slashing a Russian paratrooper’s throat with a scythe, and then advocates the same fate for all Russian military personnel.
The video would be retaliation for the deaths recorded in Bucha, a Ukrainian municipality, after the Russian invasion. It was widely distributed in Russian and Ukrainian media and channels on Telegram. The Ukrainian government, however, did not endorse the play. In Russia, the video was shown several times by the program 60 Minutes, from Russian state TV.
Watch the video (1min57):
The scene was associated with actions similar to those of the Islamic State terrorist group, which decapitates hostages.
After the repercussion, the actress deleted the profiles on Instagram and Facebook. On Instagram, Kurilets introduced himself as: “Actress of theater and cinema, teacher of acting and scenic language”. In Ukraine, she is not famous, she played small roles in television series. When she released the video, she did not report the authorship of the production of the play.
After the episode, the chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, was instructed to file a criminal case against Kurilets.
Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, commented on the video during a UN Security Council meeting. He claimed the video retroactively justified Russia’s war. “It is sad that Ukraine has reduced itself to unbridled, blind cruelty, not falling behind ISIS radicalism and extremism. Seeing this, you only convince yourself of necessity and no alternative to the special military operation carried out by Russia.” stated.
In a video shared on social networks and Telegram groups, Russian soldiers criticize the actress, calling her “insignificant” and “pay”. “That is not the thing of an honorable woman. We strongly advise you to apologize to social media.” claim. “This video is not scary. It is actually quite funny, because the men among you, apparently, there are none left.”
Watch (1min04):
Russian journalist Julia Vityazeva said on her Telegram channel that the sponsor of the video was the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America and the Ukrainian diaspora in New Jersey. In a screenshot, she shows that they would have been the first to share the video, on April 8. The information, however, cannot be confirmed. Now the video has already been deleted from group page.
DEATH IN BUCHA
The mayor of Bucha, Anatoly Fedoruk, said on Tuesday (12.Apr.2022) that 403 bodies were found on the streets of the city. According to him, that number should increase.
Images of devastation and corpses scattered through the streets of Bucha reverberated around the world. International media reported the existence of bodies around the city, but could not determine who was responsible or the number.
While Ukrainian officials have accused the Russians of genocide, the Kremlin has denied attacking civilians and said it will investigate the case.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Tuesday (April 12) that Ukrainian accusations that the Russian military executed civilians in Bucha were an act by the West.
He compared the episode to accusations that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons in Syria. “It’s the same kind of forgery in Bucha,” Putin said.
According to Putin, Ukraine staged the killings to derail peace talks and prompt the West to impose more sanctions on Moscow.
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