Following the publication of the Epstein files, Vladimir Putin would have accused Western elites of feasting on human flesh, says Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin negotiator. These are in fact remarks diverted from an old interview with the Russian president unrelated to the Epstein affair. This diversion, however, is part of the official Russian propaganda discourse which equates the West with an incarnation of almost satanic evil.

Published on: 02/05/2026 - 7:04 p.m.

Alongside real controversies, the publication of three million documents related to the Epstein affair by the US Department of Justice on January 30 is the subject of improbable conspiracy theories, including from political figures. Monday February 2, Kirill Dmitriev, Kremlin special envoy for peace negotiations for the war in Ukraine, published on X an extract from an interview with Vladimir Putin. According to the special envoy, this would be a particularly virulent criticism from Vladimir Putin of Western elites in reaction to the revelations of the Epstein files:

"For centuries, they have been accustomed to feasting on human flesh and filling their pockets with money. But they must understand that the vampire ball is coming to an end."

Kirill Dmitriev accompanies the extract with an equally acerbic caption:

"Are we now clearer about the satanic, well-connected and pervasive Epstein cabal that President Putin and President Trump are fighting? This cabal was lecturing the world about democracy and 'best practices'. The truth will set you free. 'The Vampire Ball' is coming to an end. Save the children."

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A video hijacked and reused by Russian diplomacy

This presentation of Vladimir Putin's remarks is, however, erroneous. The sequence is an extract from an interview with the president on the Russian television channel Rossiya 1 recorded on March 13, 2024. It therefore has nothing to do with the publication of the Epstein files carried out at the end of January, as Dimitri Minic, researcher at the Russia-Eurasia Center of the Institute of International Relations, points out on X.

As we can see in the full verbatim version of the interview, broadcast in March 2024, the head of state expressed his vision of international relations by criticizing the West, with the harsh terms that can be heard in the video, but without the slightest mention of the Epstein affair.

This misleading diversion is no less illustrative of the recovery of the Epstein affair controversies by official Russian propaganda, as Françoise Thom, historian specializing in Russia and author of "Vladimir Poutine's Total War" explains to the editorial staff of the Observers:

"The Epstein affair is being used by Russian diplomats and media because they can use it as a weapon in the psychological war waged by the Russian authorities against Westerners. All the Russian propaganda on this affair is a reflection of the Russian narrative according to which Western elites are rotten and Russia would represent traditional values ​​and would stand up to these corrupt elites."

The interview with Vladimir Putin shared by Kirill Dmitriev is thus mentioned on the Russian media Sputnik by Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. For the diplomat, the Epstein files would confirm Vladimir Putin's comments likening the domination of Western elites to a "vampire ball".

During a press conference held this Wednesday, February 4, Maria Zakharova once again mentioned the Epstein affair to attack the West but especially the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom she accuses of child murder and organ trafficking:

"Videos and photographs contained in approximately 3.5 million documents recently released in the Epstein files clearly illustrate this reality. We now know how the Western elite treats children, including its own. [...] These individuals stand behind the Kiev regime, which they supply with enormous financial resources in order to enable the murder of children and civilians."

The Epstein affair would also be an opportunity for Russian diplomacy to try to seduce the segment of Western opinion sensitive to the extremes and their anti-elite discourse, explains historian Françoise Thom.

"This speech which is also a call to the far-right parties which supposedly would not be involved in the turpitudes of the liberal elites. The idea is to discredit the elites in relation to the people to encourage the populist wave on which Moscow is banking. The Kremlin's hope is that the pro-Russian populists win everywhere in Europe."

Satanist rhetoric

Finally, for its criticism of the West, whether or not linked to the Epstein affair, Russian propaganda now uses satanic rhetoric. When Vladimir Putin in his interview metaphorically accuses Western elites of feasting on human flesh, Kirill Dmitriev accuses them in his post on X of fomenting a “satanic cabal”.

This is a clear sign of the hardening of Russian political discourse, notes François Thom:

"In all the speeches, Russian propaganda claims that Russia represents divine will in a war against Western Satanists. We must think that the speech is also intended for internal use. It supports the Russian government's claim to wage total war against Ukraine to justify in the eyes of the Russian population the increasingly greater sacrifices that are being asked of them. Everything must be sacrificed for the front and for the military effort. The propaganda then becomes more and more strident."

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