Why a Russian sociologist thinks Lindsey Graham was targeted

Sociologist Igor Eidman has speculated that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham may have been killed by Russian intelligence services, NEXTA reported.

Eidman said his theory was based on what he described as two key factors: the timing of Graham’s death and the senator’s recent visit to Ukraine.

Graham’s stance on Russia

According to Eidman, the Kremlin had a potential motive because Graham had been a vocal advocate for increased pressure on Russia and stronger support for Ukraine. He also noted that Graham had recently said that President Donald Trump supported his proposed legislation imposing tougher sanctions on Russia.

Eidman described Graham as one of the most pro-Ukraine figures within Trump’s political circle, citing his support for military assistance to Kyiv, including long-range weapons, and security guarantees for Ukraine.

«I think the Kremlin viewed him as […] one of the most influential supporters of Ukraine within Trump’s circle. That may not actually be the case. Many of my American friends say Lindsey Graham was simply fully aligned with Trump,» Eidman noted.

«But the Kremlin tends to think in simplistic terms and apparently believed that Graham was preventing Trump from fulfilling what it saw as his desire to embrace Putin. From that perspective, the Russian authorities had an obvious motive to eliminate Graham, especially after Trump — presumably, they believed, partly because of the senator’s influence — publicly turned away from Russia.»

Poisoning theory without evidence

As a second argument, Eidman pointed to Graham’s recent visit to Ukraine. He speculated that the senator could have been poisoned during the trip with a delayed-acting substance and suggested that Russian intelligence services might have relied on remaining intelligence networks in Ukraine to carry out such an operation.

«It’s unlikely this happened during the official events where Graham met with the Ukrainian leadership. I don’t think Russian agents could have operated there; otherwise, they could have poisoned everyone present,» Eidman said.

«However, Graham traveled to and from Kyiv by special train. He was accompanied and protected by personnel from the host country, and the train also had its own staff. In my view, that is where there may have been an opportunity to poison him through personnel allegedly recruited by Russian intelligence services.»