Lindsey Graham’s recent comments during his Friday meeting with President Zelensky caused outrage and fury in Moscow, with the head of RT Margarita Simonyan calling for his assassination. The oddly edited video gave the impression that Graham said that Russians dying was “the best money we’ve ever spent" when in fact he actually said U.S. aid to Ukraine was a valuable investment for the global security of the United States. Simonyan acknowledged the editing confusion but still thought a Trotsky-like end for Senator Graham was in order. She also called Lindsey Graham "Lady Graham" tossing in a little homophobia into the mix for good measure.

Source: Julia Davis/Daily Beast

Simonyan went even further during her appearance on Solovyov’s Sunday show. After first acknowledging that Graham’s statements may have been portrayed in a video out of context, Simonyan said that she ordered her staff “to look into it.” She invoked the name of Soviet Lieutenant General Pavel Sudoplatov, who was involved in several major intelligence operations, including the assassination of Leon Trotsky.

Simonyan ominously pointed out: “If Lady Graham said that the money for the killing of Russians is the best money the US ever spent... I hope that in our country, the sons or grandchildren of Sudoplatov are alive, his pupils, or the descendants of his pupils. It’s not even hard. We have his address.”

The head of RT explained her bloodlust by the need for retribution: “I have no ill will towards anyone and our religion tells us to forgive, but no one tells us to reward these types of things. When we don’t act in response to these things, it is the same as encouraging them. It causes them to become increasingly more brazen.”

Simonyan, who was one of the most proactive cheerleaders of the invasion, frequently complains about living in the crosshairs of vengeful Ukrainians, which she describes as an “unpleasant” feeling. In turn, she wants an American Senator to fear the arrival of a Russian assassination squad.