Overview

• Speaking at the Valdai forum in Sochi on October 2, Vladimir Putin condemned the shooting as an atrocious crime that unfolded almost live on air.
• He offered condolences to Charlie Kirk’s family and said Russia shares their grief.
• Putin framed the killing as evidence of social rupture in the U.S. and urged Washington not to escalate tensions abroad.
• He drew a moral parallel between Kirk’s advocacy for traditional values and Americans such as Michael Gloss who died fighting for those values as part of Russian forces.
• U.S. authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in the September 10 shooting, and prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty.