In a shocking tragedy Charlie Kirk the founder of Turning Point USA and a close associate of Donald Trump, was killed on September 10. The young 31 year old ideologue was assassinated by a long range weapon in front of a huge student crowd at Utah University, USA.
Kirk was a known figure among the conservative American youth having a massive on ground following in the right wing base. He was also close to Trump and was known to give him input on the narratives prevailing among the young American voters.
Among his many strong views one in particular stands out. It should be noted that the American blogger repeatedly raised question on Ukraine. In 2023, the Center for Countering Disinformation reported that Kirk called for an end to the provision of American financial aid to Ukraine and criticized the activities of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“It’s simply unacceptable for ordinary people to spend $2 trillion that you don’t have on wars you can’t win, defending people who don’t belong to you, while you’re being invaded by people we don’t know. Cut spending. End the mess in Ukraine”, Kirk said.
Kirk’s anti Ukraine funding narrative seemed to have generated a huge lobby that disliked the american commenter. Post his assassination many Ukrainian social media users have openly celebrated the shocking act.
“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.”
The anger among the Ukraine funding lobby has been intense against Kirk. The American had also been extremely vocal against Zelensky, Kirk called Zelenskyy a fraud and a “puppet of intelligence services.”
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.
Kirk had also questioned why there were Nazis in the Ukrainian camp, “Zelensky probably blames entire population of Russia for allowing “another Hitler” to seize power. If this is another Hitler who came to power, Zelenskyy, then why are there so many Nazis in your army?”
On the land issue Kirk had stated that “Crimea should be returned to Russia as a gesture of goodwill.”
He accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the absence of elections in Ukraine.
Charlie Kirk repeatedly wrote that Zelenskyy “holds Europe hostage, demanding money in exchange for adequate treatment of refugees so that they do not start terrorizing Europe.”
Post his untimely death and the shocking Ukrainian cheering that has followed. Former Russian President and close Putin aide Dmitry Medvedev has come out and slammed the Ukraine lobby for creating radicals.
Medvedev, who now serves as the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, blamed the spate of politically motivated attacks in the United States in recent years, including two assassination attempts on Trump, on “a variety of left-wing liberal scum who support Banderite Kyiv.”
“Who’s next? Maybe it’s time for the MAGA team to realize that by supporting Ukraine, they’re supporting murderers,” Medvedev wrote on X.
Since the Russia Ukraine war began in February 2022, the US Congress has appropriated about US$174‑183 billion in aid to Ukraine. Of that, ~$65‑69 billion is military assistance.
It is ofcourse shocking that even after all the aid,backing and millitary assistance the US has provided there is a huge section in the pro Ukraine lobby that cheers on the demise of Charlie Kirk for simply questioning the incessant funding and the motives behind it.
Such reactions and responses are sure to anger and frustrate the US public who have largely been sympathetic to the Ukraine cause, posing valid questions is not really such a big ask in this scenario. Perhaps it is time for the US to reconsider, much on the lines of what Charlie Kirk advocated, revaluate whether the money and aid it is sending is not helping create a dangerous anti US lobby in itself.
