Is it true that the head of Ukrainian intelligence promised to kill all Crimeans?

In mid-May 2023, Russian media reported that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR), Kirill Budanov, promised to “kill three million Crimeans.” We checked whether he made such a statement.

It is reported that in an interview with journalist Dmitry Komarov, Budanov said that the task of the GUR is the physical liquidation of Crimeans. Materials with similar wording published by the Crimean unit “RIA Novosti", "Sight», "Arguments and facts", "News of Sevastopol", EADaily and many others sites. Even before publications in the media this story spread to Twitter, Telegram And "VKontakte" In some notes, the headlines sound as scary as possible, for example: “The head of Ukrainian intelligence promised to execute every Crimean" Federal media materials often do not provide the video interview itself or a link to it, but the quote attributed to Budanov served in the context of the reaction to this news story by State Duma deputy Mikhail Sheremet, who called the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate a zombie. Messages on social networks contain a short video in which, answering Komarov’s question about the three million inhabitants of Crimea, Budanov says that “these are people with a modified psyche.” Then Komarov asks the question: “And what to do with them?”, to which Budanov allegedly answers: “Bringing them to fair responsibility. Fair responsibility in our understanding for certain people is only physical elimination.”

An interview with Budanov was published on Komarov’s YouTube channel on May 19. The video, which soon spread on social networks, was edited from different parts of the recording. Answering a question about the residents of Crimea, Budanov says (38:08) about “three million people who were under the influence of propaganda for nine years” and discusses how to reintegrate them into Ukrainian society after the victory. 

Budanov: There will be a lot of work.
Komarov: Besides the fact that three million not very loyal people will return...
Budanov: These are not “not very loyal people”, these are people with an altered psyche. Not even ideology, psyche.
Komarov: And what to do with them? 
Budanov: Those who can be re-educated.
Komarov: Carrot or stick? 
Budanov: Everyone. Both the carrot and the stick. One doesn't work without the other. 

The phrase about “physical destruction” is heard 19 minutes earlier, in response to a completely different question (19:03).

Komarov: We already know some of the faces of the people who committed atrocities in Bucha. And you published them as well...
Budanov: “The Book of Executioners”, yes, it is being updated...
Komarov: Even on the GUR website there is a section “Enemies”. What are your future plans? 
Budanov: Very simple. Bringing to fair responsibility. In our understanding, fair responsibility for individuals for their actions can only be their physical destruction. 

Due to editing, these two passages create a question-answer pairing that did not exist in reality.

An unedited fragment of an interview with Budanov’s words about the residents of Crimea and their “re-education” began to spread a few hours after the video was released on Komarov’s channel; the Telegram channel was one of the first to publish it.New edition" 

The textual distortion probably appears in reposts on the night of May 20 - for example, an entry in the channel “Kirill Fedorov / War history weapons” begins with the phrase “Budanov announces genocide if he enters the territory of the LDPR and Crimea.” By noon, an edited video appears, from which Budanov’s rather lengthy discussion about the future reintegration of Crimeans is cut out, and in its place part of the answer to Komarov’s question about Bucha is inserted. In this form, the video was apparently for the first time published in the ZeRada Telegram channel and started from there viral journey through the media.

Thus, the basis of numerous publications in the media and social networks, as well as loud comments from Russian officials, is a video edited from Budanov’s answers to two different questions.

Cover image: Screenshot from Dmitry Komarov's video "Rick. Behind the scenes. Scout».

Fake

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