Russian TV punishes propagandist after he advocates drowning Ukrainian children who criticise Russia
24 October 2022, 22:30
A Russian propagandist has been suspended by a Kremlin-backed TV channel after he advocated drowning Ukrainian children who criticise Russia.
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RT's boss described Anton Krasovsky's remarks as "wild and disgusting".
Her intervention came after months of ferocious rhetoric across Russian media, with guests often calling for devastating attacks on Ukraine and imagining disaster for the West.
But it appeared Mr Krasovsky's comments – which included a call for Ukrainian children to be burned – had finally crossed a line.
"Just drown those children, drown them in the Tysa," the so-called journalist said, mimicking the act on-air.
"You throw them in the river with a strong undercurrent."
The 47-year-old, who directed Russian-language broadcasting at RT, went on to suggest they could be burned in huts and made jokes about Russian troops raping Ukrainian grandmothers.
Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor in chief, suspended him and said: "Anton Krasovsky's statement is wild and disgusting. It is hard to believe that Krasovsky sincerely believed that children should be drowned."
Mr Krasovsky said he was "really embarrassed": "Well, it happens: you're on air, you get carried away. And you can't stop. I ask for the forgiveness of everyone who was stunned by this."
His comments are reportedly being examined by Russia's Investigative Committee, which is responsible for probing serious crimes. It was unclear which law he might have broken.
Russian media has become notorious for its bellicose rhetoric.
Its airwaves have been packed with guests dreaming up various conspiracy theories about Ukraine or ways the West could be destroyed.
These included several suggestions that Britain should be attacked with nuclear weapons, including one graphic that showed the country being washed away in a radioactive tsunami triggered by a nuke on the coastline.
