The Russian Foreign Ministry has dismissed the assertion that United States Senator Lindsey Graham stated that “Russians are dying” and that Washington had “never spent so much money before” as a far-fetched pretext, calling it a ridiculous excuse. The ministry published the relevant statement in its official gazette and through its telegraph channel to reach a wide audience both at home and abroad. In its commentary, the ministry argued that the words attributed to the senator were presented in a way that distorted their meaning and suggested that the distortion might be deliberate staging rather than a straightforward quote. The question raised was whether the public should accept such explanations at face value or view them as part of an ongoing information campaign. In short, officials signaled skepticism about the way the remarks were framed and urged observers to consider the broader messaging surrounding them.
