This thesis was circulated on social networks, in particular on telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric. The reports say that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyryl Budanov, called for “killing Russians”, just like Hitler did in his time. Like, Ukrainian officials are lobbying for the idea of killing Russians on a national basis. The authors of the messages refer to the statement of the first deputy head of the international committee of the Council of Federations of Russia, Volodymyr Dzhabarov. This is manipulation.

The specialists of the StopFake project took up the case and determined that Kyryl Budanov did not say such things, and his words were taken out of context. The reason for creating this manipulation was an interview for Yahoo News, where the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate spoke about the Russian army and their war crimes. He explained that punishment for such people cannot be avoided. He also said that the Ukrainian army is destroying the Russians and will destroy them until the complete victory of Ukraine. That is, Kyryl Budanov did not call for the killing of all “Russians” on a national basis. He mentioned only those Russians who hosted or are participating in the war against Ukraine and commit war crimes by killing Ukrainian civilians.

By spreading such manipulation, propagandists seek to once again feed the narrative about the existence of Ukrainian Nazis. Therefore, the Russians whitewash themselves and justify the wide-scale war and the daily war crimes committed by the Russians. Like, the goal of Ukraine is to destroy the Russians, so they are defending themselves.