Banks posted a mocking message on social media alongside a photo of Marine Alexander Kirienko after he spent three years in Russian captivity. While in a Russian prison camp, Kirienko was tortured and lost 40 kilograms.
The original post can still be seen on Banks's social media account.
On July 26, Banks shared a mocking comment on a photo of Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Kirienko, taken after his return from nearly three years of Russian captivity. Kirienko, who was captured while defending Mariupol, endured torture and starvation, causing him to lose over 40 kilograms.
"Well, something needed to stop his fat ass from eating," Banks wrote.
It is worth noting that Banks's mocking post caused a wave of outrage on social media, but the rapper herself did not respond to any of the comments.
"This is a horrific level of cruelty. People need to think about who they want to be if they think this is normal," wrote user @FoxBrambleFarm, attaching a photo of a father standing over the body of his murdered child.
"You are so sick that the only place you should be is a psychiatric hospital. Not for treatment, but to keep the world safe," responded Ukrainian National Guard officer Bohdan Krotevych (@BohdanKrotevych).
User @WillowMantis drew attention to Banks' ostentatious indifference to human suffering. "Over 200,000 followers, but almost no likes. Are you so desperate for attention that you laugh at the pain of others?"
The satirical Ukrainian media outlet @uanews3 also weighed in: "In our world, a person like this singer cannot be a moral compass for others. Laughing at the terrible suffering of others? A Marine Corps scout," the post reads, alongside a screenshot of an interview with released prisoner of war Kirienko.
This is not the first time that the American singer's statements have drawn criticism. She has previously publicly supported Russia and spoken out against Ukraine. In 2022, for example, the rapper called Putin her “favorite supervillain” and stated that Ukraine should reunite with the USSR. In June 2025, she saidshe felt sorry for both countries and blamed the U.S., NATO, and the EU for the war. She justified the aggression, calling Russians a "powerful people" who "conquered this entire territory." Azilya Banks has also previously been embroiled in scandals due to her racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic statements.
Background Oleksandr Kiriyenko is a senior sergeant of a sniper platoon in the 36th Brigade of the Mykolaiv Marine Corps. In 2014, he fought for Ukraine, and when the full-scale invasion began, he defended Mariupol. On April 12, 2022, he was captured after leaving the Ilyich plant. While detained in Colony No. 10 in Mordovia, Kiriyenko survived torture and beatings, losing 40 kilograms. He returned home on February 5, 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange. Colony No. 10 is mentioned in an investigation into the torture of prisoners by Russian doctor Ilya Sorokin. The media dubbed Sorokin "Doctor Evil," where Kiriyenko was held. Sorokin denied prisoners medical care and applied electric shocks to them.
Photo: gettyimages
Author: Inna Mikhno