The Israel-Hamas war has activated fault lines all over the world, including in Moscow, where the Kremlin’s most influential propagandist, Vladimir Solovyov, has found himself in the middle of a media firestorm spurred by the conflict.
First, Solovyov—who previously vowed that as a Jew, he would fight for Israel if it was ever involved in a war—went back on his promise. He claimed that his duty is to be with Russia as it fights in Ukraine, although Solovyov has no plans to risk his life or limb in that war either.
And now, there is a growing rift within his media empire. A wave of public figures in Russia are attacking his channel, Solovyov Live, suggesting it employs too many Jewish staffers in comments Solovyov says amount to an attempted “ethnic cleansing.”
The scandal appears to have started because not everyone at the network was willing to abandon their affinity towards Israel in favor of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the countries that sponsor their endeavors. Last week, Yevgeny Satanovsky—a prominent fixture on Solovyov’s state TV programs and a host on his channel—was interviewed by an Israeli YouTuber, Alexander Waldman, and did not hold back.
Criticizing Russia’s approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Satanovsky described Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, as a hopeless drunk and an old man who might be looking for a golden parachute in the form of a hefty payout. Bogdanov, who is Russia's former ambassador to Israel and Egypt, had urged “a peace process” and a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and said that Russian officials have been in touch with all parties involved in the conflict, including unspecified Arab countries.
Satanovsky also unloaded on Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, describing her as “a heavy-drinking skank, who does not like the Jews and can’t stand Israel.” He referred to the significant presence of antisemites among Russian government officials, saying that they’ve “livened up” after Hamas attacked Israel and claiming that Kremlin leadership is trying to keep them in check.
The pundit said that he doesn’t have a problem with Vladimir Putin’s government, because he realizes that the main goal of global leaders is to pass down their riches that are sometimes stolen, sometimes earned, to their descendants. He described coming to terms with this realization and learning to accept Russia just the way it is. “The country where I’m living right now, with its antisemites, thieves, scumbags and bandits, is no better and no worse than others,” he said. “There is nowhere to run.”
He went on: “Putin is not eternal, he is getting older. It’s customary for strong leaders to choose weak ones to follow them. Putin is very strong from the standpoint of retaining power... he will pick some puny, weak shit to take his spot. [Dmitry] Medvedev was an example of that.”
Solovyov promptly fired Satanovsky on Saturday and apologized to Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry. Satanovsky initially replied that he regrets nothing, but by Monday, he had posted a vague apology on his Telegram channel.
Spiral
But the scandal is only growing. During his program on Tuesday, Full Contact, Solovyov was exploding with rage, because his channel is now under attack for being “ethnically askew”.
Speaking of the controversy, Putin confidant Alexander Dugin told Eurasia Daily: “This was inevitable. The divide between the Jews who are loyal to Putin and the special military operation after the escalation in the Gaza Strip was inevitable. Satanovsky and [Yaakov] Kedmi chose Israel. Solovyov, despite his fiery Judaism, chose Russia… Solovyov diffused tensions, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Nothing is over, it barely even started... This is very serious, because the Jews play an enormous part in Russian politics.” Dugin surmised, “Satanovsky’s motherland is Israel... It’s time for Armageddonych [Satanovsky’s nickname] to go home.”
Sergey Markov, who is often reported to be Putin’s former close adviser, told the same publication, “This won’t be the last conflict in Solovyov’s pool. As many have noted, there is an enormous ethnic imbalance. Mainly the representatives of two diasporas [Jewish and Armenian] are discussing what the policies of great Russia should be. This is laughable and improper... This isn’t normal. There will be more scandals, because Russia’s relations with Israel and Armenia are getting worse. Many of Solovyov’s experts can’t find balance between Russia and their ethnic identity. Satanovsky lost it. He won’t be the last.”
In response, Solovyov called Markov “a total lowlife” and expressed his amazement that “this scumbag somehow made it to the State Duma at one point in time.” The host added: “This man used to be a trustee of the president of the Russian Federation and now he is calling for ethnic cleansing… This creature is opening his mouth to criticize the hosts of a channel, where he is constantly appearing, as though it was his job!” Solovyov called on Olga Skabeeva and Evgeny Popov, his colleagues from the program 60 Minutes, to take note of Markov’s commentary, implying they should stop inviting him to participate in their program.
Solovyov questioned what differentiates Dugin, Markov and other commentators on this issue from Hitler. He cautioned, “The old ghost of antisemitism is rising once again. The ghost of the Fourth Reich.”
