Vladimir Solovyov, one of Vladimir Putin's most prominent propagandists, declared on his flagship state television programme that Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Mykolaiv “will have to be razed to the ground.” The comments aired on The Evening with Vladimir Solovyov on 1 July 2026, during a panel discussion featuring Dean Henry Sardaryan of MGIMO, Associate Professor Artur Demchuk, Federation Council member Alexei Kondratiev, and Dean Andrey Sidorov.
Panel frustration over Russian image
Sardaryan voiced concerns that Russia was becoming a “laughing stock,” stating: “They are trying to make a laughing stock out of Russia now. All of our problems now in the post-Soviet space are connected to only one thing: that a whole group of cretins in these countries is now convinced that Russia has big problems... There are resources, there are forces, there are all the possibilities for this. It is necessary now to show willpower...” Solovyov then concluded that “Odesa, Nikolaev, Kyiv, Kharkov will have to be razed to the ground.”
Routine fiery rhetoric on state media
The episode underscores the fiery rhetoric that has become routine on Russian state media more than four years into Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Solovyov has a long record of similar inflammatory statements, including prior calls to wipe Ukrainian cities “off the face of the earth.” Russia launched its unprovoked assault in February 2022 expecting a quick victory. Instead, it has suffered enormous casualties and economic damage while facing effective Ukrainian resistance and deep strikes on Russian territory.
Kremlin information bubble
Such broadcasts form part of the Kremlin's insular information bubble, framing the destruction of Ukrainian cities and identity as essential for Russian security and revenge. Ukrainian officials and Western governments have repeatedly condemned this discourse as evidence of genocidal intent, consistent with documented war crimes including systematic attacks on civilian infrastructure. With no end to the grinding conflict in sight and mounting domestic pressures, hardline voices on state television continue to demand escalation through annihilation.
