Russia attacks UK defense chief with crude insult after Putin kidnapping remarks
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova lashed out on Jan. 11 at British Defense Secretary John Healey after he said he would detain Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, calling the remarks "the wet dreams of British perverts."
Zakharova made the comments to the state-controlled TV Centre channel in response to remarks Healey gave to the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 9 while visiting the site of a deadly Russian drone strike on a high-rise residential building in Kyiv.
Asked which world leader he would choose to kidnap if given the chance, Healey said he would "take (Russian President Vladimir) Putin into custody and hold him account for war crimes."
Standing amid the aftermath of the overnight attack, Healey pointed to Russian atrocities as the basis for his remarks, including "what I saw in Bucha on one of my first visits to Ukraine" and "the abduction of some of the Ukrainian kids that I met in Irpin."
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While Healey's comments were hypothetical when made, they followed a shift in the international landscape after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, a move that raised questions about whether similar actions could follow.
Healey's remarks came just one day after Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack across Ukraine overnight on Jan. 8–9, killing at least four people and injuring 24 others in Kyiv.
Zakharova, a longtime fixture of Russia's foreign policy messaging, is widely known for using undiplomatic and provocative language. Her public comments frequently feature personal insults, sarcasm, and aggressive rhetoric aimed at foreign officials and governments.
Trump, who has spent months attempting to broker a negotiated settlement between Moscow and Kyiv, earlier offered a sharply contrasting view when asked about the prospect of detaining Putin.
Asked whether such a move might be necessary, Trump replied ambiguously, "Well, I don't think it's going to be necessary," adding, "I've always had a great relationship with (Putin)."
