Russian journalist criticizes Serbian president over question on killing Russians

A Russian military correspondent has sharply criticized Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić for his response to a question posed by a German journalist during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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What can we Europeans do to help you kill as many Russians… more Russian soldiers, of course.

The correspondent, writing for Komsomolskaya Pravda, questioned why Vučić did not more forcefully challenge the German journalist's phrasing. The German reporter, Michael Martens of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, had asked what Europeans could do to help Ukraine "kill as many Russians... more Russian soldiers, of course." The Russian correspondent suggested that Serbia needs "brothers" like a Serb fighting in Donbas, whose grandfather fought against the Ustaše, rather than leaders like Vučić.

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We need brothers like a Serb who fights in Donbas, who probably fought in Croatia in 1991, and whose grandfather fought against the Ustaše. Such brothers we need.

Martens defended his question, stating that killing Russians is necessary to stop Russian aggression and that European states should not shy away from such conclusions. However, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung issued a statement clarifying that the question was ambiguously phrased and did not represent the newspaper's view. The German paper supports Ukraine's right to self-defense and calls for an end to the Russian war.

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The question related to current discussions among defense experts on how the Russian army can be put under such personnel pressure that Russia is forced to enter into peace negotiations. However, the question was ambiguously formulated, for which we apologize.

Meanwhile, the Russian Union of Journalists, led by Vladimir Solovyov, has called for disciplinary action against Martens. The article highlights the differing perspectives and reactions to the journalist's question, reflecting the ongoing tensions and propaganda surrounding the conflict.

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FAZ's editorial position is not that as many Russian soldiers as possible should be killed. FAZ supports Ukraine's right to self-defense, as guaranteed by international law, and calls for an end to the Russian war of aggression as soon as possible.