Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to a reporter’s question about his political opponents that are “dead, in prison, poisoned,” by mentioning the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
A reporter asked Putin following his summit with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, “If all of your political opponents are dead, in prison, poisoned, doesn’t that send a message that you do not want a fair political fight?”
He replied, “On the question of who is murdering whom, people rioted and went into the Congress in the U.S. with political demands and many people were declared as criminals and they are threatened with imprisonment from 20 to 25 years.”
Putin continued, “These people were immediately arrested after those events, on what grounds we don’t know always. The states didn’t actually inform us about that. One of the participants were just shot on the spot and unarmed as well. Many countries are going through exactly what we’re going through. Let me just repeat, we sympathize with what was happening in the states but we do not wish that to happen in Russia.”
Watch his remarks below:
"You didn't answer my question, sir. If all of your political opponents are dead, in prison, poisoned, doesn't that send a message that you do not want a fair political fight?"
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 16, 2021
Putin responds to this question by bringing up the January 6 insurrection. pic.twitter.com/n8esSY0lMT
Protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 as Congress met to certify the Electoral College results, as IJR previously reported.
CBS News, citing the Department of Justice, reported that about 465 had been arrested in connection with the insurrection, as of Friday. At least 550 people are expected to be charged.
The FBI is still asking the public for help to identify “more than 250 people believed to have committed assaults on police officers or other violent acts on the Capitol grounds,” as CBS News reports.
While delivering a speech at the “Stop the Steal” rally on the National Mall prior to the attack, former President Donald Trump told his supporters to “walk down to the Capitol” and protest the certification of the results.
He added, “You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
Shortly after the events, the House voted to impeach the former president on the charge of “incitement of insurrection,” as IJR previously reported.
The Senate later acquitted Trump.