The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in a statement made on X, issued threats of physical harm and even potential death towards Russian journalists. This alarming rhetoric provoked strong condemnation from online users who expressed their disgust and ridiculed the use of hate speech.

Characterizing specifically targeted journalists as "propagandists supporting war criminals," Ashton-Cirillo asserted that they would be actively pursued and held accountable for their actions.

The spokesperson made a specific suggestion or insinuation that next week, the world will see Moscow's "favorite criminal propagandist" pay for Russia's "crimes."

"And this puppet of [Vladimir] Putin is only the first," said the Ukrainian military spokesperson.

Although Ashton-Cirillo didn't explicitly mention the purported target, certain Russian bloggers speculated that the spokesperson might have been referring to Margarita Simonyan, the Editor-in-Chief of RT and Sputnik. Simonyan had previously received death threats from Ukrainian nationalists.

Not an isolated incident

The Ukrainian government and nationalist groups in the country have a well-documented history of suppressing freedom of speech and targeting both Ukrainian and foreign journalists.

Notably, Ukraine's infamous Mirotvorets website maintains a "kill list" that contains personal information about dissenting reporters, politicians, opposition figures, bloggers, and even minors, all labeled as "enemies of Ukraine."

When someone on this list is killed, the website marks their photograph with the word "liquidated." Tragically, this has led to the deaths of various individuals, including Ukrainian publicist Oles Buzina, legislator Oleg Kalashnikov, Russian journalists Zemfira Suleimanova, Igor Kornelyuk, and Anton Voloshin, as well as Russian photojournalist Andrey Stenin, Italian freelance photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli, and Darya Dugina, the daughter of Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, among others. 

Ashton-Cirillo's video message has garnered attention in Russia, and Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, pointed out that the statement serves as additional proof of the Zelensky administration, which is backed by the US, engaging in what she referred to as terrorist actions. Zakharova also pledged to share the video with various international organizations for their awareness.

On X, Ashton-Cirillo's announcement has generated a predominantly negative response, with many expressing a combination of sarcasm and strong disapproval.

The statement from the Ukrainian military spokesperson coincides with the Kiev government's lack of advancement on the battlefield during the past three months. Moreover, there is a growing trend of Ukrainian troops surrendering, citing inadequate training and equipment as their grievances.