Putin puppet says entire cities 'must be razed to the ground' in insane rant

Vladimir Solovyov, one of Vladimir Putin’s most prominent propagandists, has himself declared that Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Mykolaiv “will have to be razed to the ground” during his flagship state television programme. The comments came on The Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, aired on 1 July 2026. Panellists included Dean of the School of Governance and Politics at MGIMO Henry Sardaryan, Associate Professor at Moscow State University Artur Demchuk, Member of Russia’s Federation Council Alexei Kondratiev, and Dean of the School of World Politics Andrey Sidorov.

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 himself weighed in, concluding that “Odesa, Nikolaev, Kyiv, Kharkov will have to be razed to the ground”.

The episode underscores the fiery rhetoric which 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.

The panel discussion reflected frustration over perceived weakness emboldening neighbours and the West.

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.