Russia’s Investigative Committee said it was opening a criminal investigation into the Republican senator’s comments.
Russia has put US Senator Lindsey Graham on a wanted list, according to Russian media reports citing the Interior Department database.
Ukraine’s presidential office on Friday released an edited video of a meeting between Graham and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which first shows the senator saying, “The Russians are dying,” and then that US support is “the best money we’ve ever spent”.
After Russia criticized the comments, Ukraine released a full video of the interaction, showing the two unrelated comments.
On Sunday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said it was opening a criminal investigation into Graham’s comments, without specifying what charges he has been charged with.
Russia has previously sanctioned dozens of US officials and politicians but has rarely sought to arrest senior officials.
Graham dismissed Russian criticism of his support for Ukraine by saying he praised the spirit of the Ukrainian people in resisting the Russian invasion with US support.
Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called the 67-year-old Republican leader a “stupid old man”.
“Stupid old Senator Lindsey Graham said that the United States has never spent money as successfully as killing Russians,” Medvedev said. “He shouldn’t have done that.”
In an emailed statement to Reuters news agency, Graham responded to Medvedev’s comments and said, “As usual, the Russian propaganda machine is working hard.”
He added: “Mr. Medvedev, if you want Russians to stop dying in Ukraine, back out. Stop the invasion. End war crimes. The truth is that you and [President Vladimir] Putin may care less about Russian soldiers.”
During a visit to Kyiv on Friday, Graham told Zelenskyy that Ukraine’s resistance reminded him of “our better selves in America. There was a time in America when we went this way, fought to the last man, we were free or we died.”
“You are free now,” replied Zelenskyy, to which Graham replied: “And the Russians are dying.”
“Yes, but they have come to our territory. We are not fighting on their territory,” Zelenskyy said.
The United States has provided Ukraine with a total of $38 billion worth of military assistance since the war began in February 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attributed Graham’s praise for US financial support to his comments that the Russians were dying.
“It’s hard to imagine a country more embarrassed than having such senators,” Peskov said.
