The near assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania has elicited a roar of comments by Russian politicians, experts and journalists, both pro-Putin and anti-Putin. A number of commentators from both camps agreed that the incident boosts Trump’s electoral chances. As Russian self-exiled liberal expert Boris Pastukhov put it: “It was Trump that was being shot at, but it was Biden who got hit.” Experts on both sides of Russia’s political divide  noted that the attempt will contribute to the polarization of America, with one liberal Russian expert noting that the Kremlin will benefit from this trend. Commenting on Trump’s survival, some pro-Kremlin writers wondered if the heavens intervened to save him. Meanwhile, at least two of Russia’s major online retailers tried to profit from the incident.

Below are the expanded versions of some of these and other comments made by Russian officials and experts following the incident. Items are in alphabetical order by last name. This post is also part of Russia Matters’ “Clues from Russian Views” series, in which we share what newsmakers in/from Russia are saying on Russia-related issues that impact key U.S. national interests so that RM readers can glean clues about their thinking.

• Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences Center for Security Studies, said: “The assassination attempt makes Trump’s election victory almost inevitable.” “Of course, historical parallels with Kennedy and Reagan beg to be made. But the socio-political background of these attempts is completely different. Under Kennedy, there was no such polarization of American society. Therefore, if the assassination attempt on Trump had been successful, most likely it would have forced his entire electorate to take to the streets, not with banners, but with weapons,” Blokhin said. (Vzglyad, 07.14.24)
• Dmitry Drize of the Kommersant publishing house, which is owned by a pro-Putin billionaire, wrote: “In general, the situation is truly alarming; many, again, outside observers draw parallels with the events of a hundred years ago, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed. What happened next is well known, I don’t want something like that to happen again. But, on the other hand, it is very likely that this very thing has already happened, that is, we are living in conditions of a big war.” “If we discard the staging version, the ex-president was a few millimeters from imminent death. Could it be that higher powers intervened?” Drize asked. (Kommersant Radio, 07.15.24)
• Malek Dudakov, a Russian scholar of the U.S., said: “The assassination attempt should motivate Trump to choose a replacement in case something happens to him. I assume that it will be James David Vance, senator from Ohio, because of the entire shortlist of candidates he is the closest to Trump in views. If he becomes vice president, then an attempt on Trump’s life will no longer make sense, given that his place will be taken by an even bigger ‘Trumpist’ than Trump himself.” (Vzglyad, 07.14.24)
• Alexandra Filippenko, a Russian scholar of the U.S., warned: “If polarization worsens, it will lead to a dangerous turn in American domestic politics. First of all, this benefits the Kremlin.” (Republic.ru, 07.15.24)
• Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin’s deputy in the Russian Security Council, wrote of Trump: “Now he has already won. If they don't kill him.” (RBC.ru, 07.15.24)
• Boris Mezhuev, associate professor of the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University, said: “I don’t think that any special services are behind this. It’s unlikely that we are talking about some kind of planned conspiracy.” “It seems to me that the main reason is the theme of ‘noble violence’, the atmosphere of hatred and the cult of liberal loners capable of killing a potential ‘Hitler,’” Mezhuev said.  (Vzglyad, 07.14.24)
• Boris Pastukhov, a Russian self-exiled liberal political scientist, wrote: “It was Trump that was being shot at, but it was Biden who got hit. A couple of centimeters to one side of Trump's ear separated Biden from victory. These same couple of centimeters in the other direction now brought him closer to almost inevitable defeat. Carried away from the stage by Secret Service agents, Trump, in whom the political animal never sleeps, managed to wriggle out and create a picture that Biden could not defeat.” (Pastukhov’s Telegram channel/Republic.ru, 07.15.24)
• Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, said the U.S. administration "prefers to resolve all issues from a position of strength," including the "use of force" in international affairs, and "now this violence has spilled inside the country." The Kremlin condemned the attack and wished speedy recoveries to the injured. Peskov said Putin has no plans to call Trump after the shooting. (WP, 07.14.24)
  • "For obvious reasons, [Putin’s] security has already been boosted regardless of aforementioned events," Peskov said, replying to a question on the necessity to increase measures on Putin’s protection following attempts on the lives of ex-U.S. President Donald Trump and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. "The protection of the head of state is ensured at an appropriate level, everything necessary is being done, considering, of course, the international escalation of tensions in general," the Kremlin official stressed. (TASS, 07.15.24)
• Gennady Petrov of Russia’s Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily, which is generally pro-Kremlin, wrote: “Thanks to the assassination attempt, the ex-head of state becomes the favorite in the presidential race. ... Trump has previously outperformed Joseph Biden in the ratings, and now he may become completely unattainable for him.” (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 07.14.24)
• Vladimir Vasiliev, senior researcher at the Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said: “America saw a real president who behaves with dignity under bullets. ... [M]any Republicans believe that the outcome of the November presidential election is already a foregone conclusion. But I think that the assassination factor will be guaranteed to have impact, increasing its popularity, until the end of summer rather than until November.” The assassination attempt on Trump will increase mutual hostility between Trumpists and their ideological opponents, contributing to the splitting of American society, according to Vasilyev. (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 07.14.24)
• Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote in a Telegram post entitled “Who and what is behind the assassination attempt on Trump”: “Through many years of politics, the United States has achieved a state literally on the brink of civil war. ... Political opponents in the United States of America and Europe are using an agitated and divided society for their own … selfish interests. This is unacceptable. Fundamental changes are needed in the domestic and foreign policies of Washington and Brussels. Otherwise, the West will face big problems.” (Volodin’s Telegram channel, 07.14.24)
• Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, said: “This is not only a manifestation of the internal political life of the United States, but it is also a tradition ... There are dozens of such crimes against American presidents and presidential candidates.” (Republic.ru, 07.15.24)
• Russian online retailers Ozon and Wildberries began to sell T-shirts featuring the image of Trump stained with blood after the assassination attempt. "An oversize t-shirt with the ‘attempt on Donald Trump’s life’ print," reads the description on Wildberries. All sizes are available for a 2,000-rubles ($22.8) t-shirt made of cotton and polyester.  (TASS, 07.15.24)

Photo by Gage Skidmore shared under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license. Image has been cropped.