Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova slammed Pentagon press secretary John Kirby and said he’s ‘losing his nerve’ in his comments over Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kirby delivered an emotional condemnation of Vladimir Putin’s ‘depravity’ in Ukraine on Friday, and came close to tears as he described the horror of looking at images coming from the war-torn country.
Zakharova, who has served as Moscow’s foreign ministry spokesperson since 2015, called Kirby’s statement ‘rude, insulting and troublesome’ in a post on Telegram.
The Pentagon press secretary has won rave reviews for his unflappable manner and dry sense of humor during briefings, delivering grim news with the minimum of fuss.
But on Friday, the toll of 65 days of war in Ukraine caught up with him when he was asked about President Putin’s state of mind.
‘I’m not going to go into the psychology of Vladimir Putin,’ he began.
‘It’s hard to look at what he’s doing in Ukraine, what his forces are doing in Ukraine and think that any ethical, moral individual could justify that.
‘It’s difficult to look at the…’
He tailed off, apparently choking up and battling to regain his composure.
After a few seconds, he resumed his train of thought and delivered one of his most powerful condemnations yet of the Russian president.
‘Sorry,’ he said.
‘It’s difficult to look at some of the images and imagine that any well-thinking, serious mature leader would do that.
‘So I can’t talk to his psychology. But I think we can all speak to his depravity.’
Earlier the retired rear admiral announced that the U.S. had begun training Ukrainian soldiers on key weapons systems at bases in Germany.
The U.S. and partners are pouring in weapons in a race against time before Russia launches its full onslaught against Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region.
U.S. officials – including Kirby – have already accused Russian forces of war crimes.
After his emotional words, he was asked why had used the term ‘depravity’ and what had pushed him into such powerful condemnation.
‘I can’t speak for the entire US government. I speak for the Defense Department and I didn’t mean to get emotional,’ he said.
‘I apologize for that. I don’t want to make this about me.
‘But I’ve been around the military a long, long time and I’ve known friends who didn’t make it back. It’s just hard.’
Then he listed Russian actions in Ukraine, including killing civilians, and asked how it was related to Putin’s war aims. His tearful moment gave way to furious indignation.
And it’s hard to it’s hard to square his – let’s just call it what it is – BS that this is about Nazism in Ukraine, and it’s about protecting Russians in Ukraine, and it’s about defending Russian national interests when none of them … none of them were threatened by Ukraine,’ he said, thumping the lectern to emphasize his fury.
‘It’s hard to square that rhetoric by what he’s actually doing inside Ukraine to innocent people shot in the back of the head, hands tied behind their backs.
‘Women, pregnant women being killed hospitals being bombed.
‘I mean, it’s just unconscionable. And I don’t know, I don’t have the mental capacity to understand how you get how you connect those two things. It’s just beyond me.’
The International Criminal Court and at least nine countries have launched war crimes investigations.
Some of the worst atrocities have been identified around Kyiv after the Kremlin’s troops pulled out early in April. Investigators have described signs of torture and mutilation on bodies left in the streets of Bucha and have uncovered mass graves.
‘I don’t think we fully appreciated the degree to which he would visit that kind of violence and cruelty and as I said depravity on innocent people, on non-combatants on civilians, with such such utter disregard for the lives he was taking,’ said Kirby.
‘I mean, there’s not even there’s not even an attempt by Russia to be precise in their targeting.’
Even if you could justify the war, he continued, it was impossible to justify the war it was being conducted.
‘It’s just … it’s brutality of the coldest and and most depraved sort.’ he said.
Earlier news emerged of the latest shipments of weapons to Ukraine.
More than a dozen flights will leave the continental U.S. in the next 24 hours carrying weapons destined for Ukrainian armed forces, including more howitzers and the first of the new Phoenix Ghost drones.
A senior defense official told reporters that the new, secret drones will join 100 Switchblades – kamikaze drones that carry a warhead – that have already been delivered.
It comes as Russia on Thursday pounded targets across Ukraine, hitting high-rise apartments in Kyiv, just when the capital was beginning a return to normal.
And as the Pentagon announced it had begun training some Ukrainian forces at bases in Germany on key weapons systems.
U.S. officials have suggested they face a race against time to deliver weapons to Ukrainian forces as they fight fierce battles in the eastern Donbas region.
Last week, President Joe Biden announced he was giving them a new weapon – previously classified Phoenix Ghost drones specially tailored for the conflict.