Ukraine Calls Tucker Carlson a Clown, Fact Checks His First Show

The Ukrainian government has hit back at Tucker Carlson after the former Fox News host said a "fair person would conclude" Kyiv blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, which collapsed on Tuesday causing widespread flooding.

Carlson made the argument on the inaugural edition of his new Twitter show, in which he claimed the dam was "effectively Russian" and its destruction "hurts Russia more" than Ukraine.

U.S. military aid, which has included advanced weapon systems such as HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and TOW anti-tank missiles, has played key role in enabling Ukraine to resist the Russian invasion since February 2022. In response, Russian state media has amplified the voices of those, such as Carlson, who have opposed military assistance and blamed the Biden administration for prolonging the war.

During his show, which was released on Tuesday, Carlson remarked: "The Kakhovka dam was effectively Russian. It was built by the Russian government. It currently sits in Russian-controlled territory. The dam's reservoir supplies water to Crimea, which has been for the last 240 years home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

"So really, once the facts start coming in, it becomes much less of a mystery what might have happened to the dam, and a fair person would conclude that the Ukrainians probably blew it up, just as you would assume they blew up Nord Stream, the Russian natural gas pipeline last fall."

Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security (CSCIS), a government agency, hit back at Carlson in a Twitter thread on Thursday.

The body posted a screenshot from Carlson's former Fox News show, edited to include a photo of Vladimir Putin and the strapline "agent of Putin."

They added the clown face emoji, then said: "Tucker Carlson, a TV presenter who was fired from Fox News, 'explains' why Ukraine blew up the Kakhovka HPP. Let's break down his arguments."

The agency countered Carlson's assertion that the dam's destruction was less damaging to Russia than Ukraine on three points, writing: "1. The explosion has led to an environmental disaster on the territory of Ukraine."

"2. The flooding of the territory complicates Ukraine's offensive in the South and allows the Russians to release at least some of the forces they have been keeping on this part of the frontline.

"3. It is not the first time that the Russians have resorted to the scorched earth tactic in an attempt to inflict as much damage as possible on Ukraine."

The CSCIS also accused Carlson of using edited video of Lindsey Graham's meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, which appeared to show the South Carolina senator saying: "This is the best thing we've ever spent money on," immediately after saying "Russians are dying."

In response the Ukrainian agency posted: "Graham's statements about the deaths of Russians and the spending of American money do not follow each other. The unedited version of this conversation was made public. But Tucker Carlson ignored it."

Newsweek has contacted Carlson for comment via Twitter and Facebook direct message.

President Zelensky directly blamed Russia for the Nova Kakhovka dam's destruction on Tuesday, accusing Moscow of having unleashed "ecocide" and insisting "Russia will pay for its crimes."

At a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia insisted the damage was caused by "deliberate sabotage undertaken by Kyiv."

Correction 06/12/2023 8.25 a.m. ET: Russia's U.N. ambassador is Vassily Nebenzia, not Sergiy Kyslytsya.