(MOSCOW, RUSSIA) – Leading Russian state television propagandists have descended into on-air panic, making a series of extraordinary admissions about the faltering war against Ukraine and the regime’s growing inability to control the narrative at home.
During a marathon broadcast, host Vladimir Solovyov abandoned the Kremlin’s customary bluster to acknowledge Ukraine’s military effectiveness, while fellow presenter Olga Skabeyeva confessed to being frightened by current events. Filmmaker Karen Shakhnazarov went further, warning that the Russian dictator’s policies could lead the country to collapse.
Solovyov directly questioned why Russia had failed to defeat Ukraine despite years of dismissing its leadership as incompetent. “If Ukrainians are such stupid amateurs, then why can we not win? We are constantly trying to prove to ourselves that everything is fine,” he told viewers.
The host admitted that Ukraine had adopted a strategy of attrition that was proving effective. “Ukraine has switched to the so-called thousand cuts tactic. Frightening times. So, this is what it has all come to,” Solovyov said, in a stark departure from the Kremlin’s official line that its so-called special military operation is proceeding according to plan.
Shakhnazarov offered a blunt assessment of the regime’s failures, stating that Kyiv remained determined to achieve outright victory. “We have to admit that they have firmly decided to win and they are doing everything for that,” he said, adding, “I still do not have the feeling that we have firmly decided to win.”
The filmmaker accused the Kremlin of pursuing an ostrich policy, deliberately ignoring the gravity of the situation. “We are constantly trying to show ourselves that everything is fine, that everything is normal, that our life has not changed, and that we are living perfectly well without these problems. And on the one hand, it may seem like a good thing, but sometimes you start wondering how is this going to end.”
Shakhnazarov explicitly warned that current policies could precipitate national collapse. “Everything is honestly hanging by a thread,” he said, noting reports that air defence systems might be distributed to private individuals. “This means the state is refusing to ensure the safety of its citizens. Moreover, if people begin arming themselves privately, then at some point they will realise that they can also negotiate privately. Suppose some republic comes under attack and we say we have nothing to do with this. That is very dangerous.”
Skabeyeva, known for her aggressive pro-war rhetoric, admitted that her usual bellicose posturing no longer sufficed. “Frightening times,” she said. When asked directly, “Aren’t you scared?” she replied, “This is how we have been living for more than 30 years. Unfortunately, for our generation, this is normal.”
The broadcast descended into open recrimination as Solovyov demanded the execution of those leaking military information to Ukraine. “It means the Ukrainians know all our strike plans from the very beginning. It means we have traitors among us. It means that the people leaking this information to the Ukrainians from different levels must be caught and shot. The death penalty must be brought back. We do not need life imprisonment. Not for our traitors.”
In a remarkable admission of technological inferiority, Solovyov railed against Russia’s failure to develop counter-drone systems. “If we are so smart, then why has our academic science still not developed a system to counter drones? Where are the powerful microwave systems? Where is something beyond electronic warfare which is ineffective? Where are the complex laser systems? We buy them from China.”
He continued, “China is producing them in mass. You can buy as many as you want. You can buy different versions of interceptor systems from them. China has plenty of it.” The outburst represented a direct acknowledgement that Russia, despite its claims of military supremacy, relies on foreign technology for basic defensive capabilities.
The broadcast also featured nuclear sabre rattling, with Skabeyeva hinting that Russia could not endure the current situation much longer. “It feels as if the end of the world is coming. Just think about it. These are two nuclear powers. The one provoking is official Paris. And the one being provoked is official Moscow. And we may be able to tolerate it, but we will not be able to tolerate it for long simply because it is already unbearable. We will have to respond.”
Solovyov went further, calling for strikes on European infrastructure. “For every strike on one of our oil refineries, an oil refinery in free Europe should explode and burn. It is very simple. There are not so many of them in Europe. For every strike on one of our ports, there should be a strike not only on Ukrainian ports, but also on ports of NATO countries.”
The host demanded the demolition of Ukrainian cities, stating, “I still believe that the residents of Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kyiv should be given three days to leave those cities and then those cities must be demolished.”
Shakhnazarov urged his colleagues to moderate their empty declarations of impending victory. “We keep saying that we will win, but I would say it less and I would rather do something for that because I think you first have to win and only then talk about it.”
Solovyov attempted to defend the Russian dictator, insisting that “our Supreme Commander-in-Chief has stated the goals and objectives of the special military operation several times with absolute clarity and precision.” However, the same broadcast made clear that those objectives remain unfulfilled after four years of conflict.
The panellists acknowledged that Russian society is growing weary of war. “There will be elections in the autumn. But these are wartime elections. People are tired of the war,” one participant noted, before dismissing public sentiment entirely, adding that “those people, their opinion should not be listened to at all. They will drive Russia into the tragedy of the beginning of the last century.”