Putin Ally Dunks on ‘Comrade Mamdani’ for ‘Collectivism’ Remark With Simpsons Meme

David GilmourJan 2nd, 2026, 7:02 am
 

(Screengrab CBS)

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close ally and Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev dunked on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pledge to bring “the warmth of collectivism” to the city with a Simpsons meme Friday.

“We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism,” Mamdani announced to cheers from the supporters during his swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.

The comment drew a quick clapback from Dmitriev, the Harvard-educated head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, who directly addressed the self-described democratic socialist via X as “comrade.” He also panned Mamdani’s left-wing ideas with a “friendly reminder” that collectivism has “already been tried.”

The Kremlin official, who was appointed by Putin to meet with special envoy Steve Witkoff in November for Ukraine peace talks, followed with a further tweet, mockingly posting a Simpsons gif of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin walking like a zombie with the subtitle: “Must crush capitalism!”

Mamdani’s remarks drew ire from MAGA commentators and conservatives domestically, who slammed the rhetoric as “chilling” and “horrific.”

After being sworn in as New York City’s new mayor by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mamdani hailed the senator as “the man whose leadership I seek most to emulate.”

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