Russian Host Still Believes Ukrainian Children Should Be Drowned, Burned Months After Apologizing

A well-known Russian host and propagandist again advocated for drowning and burning Ukrainian children months after he apologized for making the same statement.

Anton Krasovsky, a propagandist associated with RT (formerly called Russia Today), reaffirmed his stance during a live stream on the Extraordinary Tsarism YouTube Channel on Monday.

"I don't mean they should be killed, although I once said they should be drowned and burned," he told the hosts, as translated by investigative news website The Insider.

When asked whether he has changed his mind about the Ukrainian children, Krasovsky answered "no," eliciting laughter among the hosts.

Krasovsky initially made remarks about "drowning and burning Ukrainian children" in October 2022 during an interview with Russian science fiction author Sergey Lukyanenko.

"They should have been drowned in the Tysyna (River). Just drown those children, drown them," he said at the time. "As soon as they say that moskali occupied [Ukraine], throw them in the river where the currents are strong."

Moskali is a derogatory term often used to identify Russians.

His remark later sparked outrage in Ukraine and the West. Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief for RT, also said they suspended Krasovsky following his remarks.

Krasovsky issued an apology shortly after facing backlash for his comments, adding that he was "really embarrassed" for failing to "recognize this boundary concerning the topic of children." He had also posted a four-minute video on his Telegram channel where he referred to himself as "a fool" and said he occasionally got "carried away" during broadcasts, which led to him making the comment.

In that video, he also said he "will never forgive" himself for making the inflammatory comments and blamed it on "the demon sitting on one of my shoulders."

It was not the only instance of Krasovsky issuing controversial statements amid the war in Ukraine. On the same day when he suggested drowning Ukrainian children, Krasovsky also mocked reports about Russian soldiers raping elderly women in Ukraine, arguing that the "grannies" would more likely spend money to be raped by Moscow's troops.

In July 2022, he also expressed dissatisfaction that there was "not enough Vinnitsa." A day before his post, the Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa was attacked by the Russian military using missiles, which led to the deaths of 27 people, including three children.