Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has issued a threat against Laura Loomer, a close Donald Trump ally, after she publicly questioned why Vladimir Putin remains alive. Solovyov, host of state television programme Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, devoted part of his weekend broadcast to raging against Ms Loomer.
Threat on State TV
Referring to her recent interviews in Kyiv with Ukrainian military figures, including Andrii Biletskyi, founder of the Azov Battalion, Solovyov branded her a “fool” and a “scumbag.” Solovyov declared: “Some idiot comes here for a small amount of money, supposedly supporting Trump before, looks into the eyes of the Nazi Beletsky and, based on the fact that she is Jewish… she says in all seriousness: ‘I don’t understand why Putin is still alive?’”
He then added: “If I understand correctly, in the United States of America, for this kind of call in relation to, say, the fate of the President of the United States, they would immediately roll you into the asphalt. That is, now we need to roll this fool into the asphalt.”
Loomer's Reversal
Solovyov went on to note that US Senator Lindsey Graham, who had also criticised Russia, would “die on his own,” before suggesting Russians should simply “wait until this fool dies on her own.” He expressed astonishment at Russia’s “politeness” in the face of such criticism. The segment was monitored and subtitled by the independent Russian Media Monitor project.
Ms Loomer, a self-described investigative journalist with nearly two million followers on X, has long been a polarising figure on the American right. Once a vocal opponent of US military aid to Ukraine who amplified narratives favourable to Moscow, she underwent a dramatic reversal during a recent visit to Kyiv.
Kyiv Visit and Aftermath
Standing at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, an 11th-century monastery damaged by Russian drones, she denounced Putin’s claims to be defending Christianity and admitted she had been “bamboozled by Russian propaganda”. She has since interviewed President Volodymyr Zelensky, backed continued Western support for Ukraine, and warned that Russian victory would threaten NATO and ultimately the United States.
Her shift has drawn sharp reactions from Moscow. Russian state media has portrayed her transformation as betrayal, particularly after she asked Ukrainian commanders on camera why Putin has survived nearly five years of war.
Conflict Context
The threat comes amid a grinding phase of the conflict. Russian forces continue slow advances in eastern Ukraine but at enormous cost, with Ukrainian estimates putting monthly Russian casualties at over 40,000 in recent periods. Moscow has intensified long-range missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and other cities, while Ukrainian forces have repeatedly hit Russian oil refineries deep inside Russia, contributing to fuel shortages.
Putin has publicly rejected Ukrainian ceasefire proposals and insisted Russia will continue its campaign to seize remaining territory in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Solovyov, long sanctioned by the West for spreading disinformation and repeatedly threatening nuclear strikes on European capitals, remains one of Putin’s most prominent media enforcers. His latest outburst underscores the Kremlin’s sensitivity to high-profile defections from former pro-Russian voices in the West, especially those close to the Trump administration.
Loomer's Response
Ms Loomer has responded by sharing clips of the segment and describing Russian state media figures as "presstitutes" undergoing a meltdown. She has reiterated that Russia is a terrorist state and that Putin poses a direct threat to Europe and beyond. The episode highlights the intensifying information war surrounding the conflict as it enters its fifth year with no clear end in sight.
