Russian TV Host Slammed by Pundit: 'It's Criminal To Bomb Peaceful Cities'

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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In a rare moment of dissent on Russian television, host Vladimir Solovyov's threats to destroy Kyiv and wipe Kharkiv "off the face of the Earth" in response to Ukrainian shelling were met with condemnation by one of his guests on Russia-1.

Daily Beast's reporter Julia Davis shared a clip from Solovyov's talk show where Yaakov Kedmi, an Israeli politician and diplomat, calls the host's ideas to bomb Ukrainian cities into submissions "obscene."

"It's obscene, it's not constructive, it's criminal to bomb peaceful cities. These words, 'To wipe Kyiv and Kharkiv off the face of the Earth,' they should not be uttered, especially in Russia," Kedmi said.

Russian TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov
Russian TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov smiles during the ceremony of the annexation of four Ukrainian regions at the Grand Kremlin Palace on September 30, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. His calls for Moscow to bomb Kyiv... Contributor/Getty Images

"There were no wars in history, where the bombing of a peaceful city, of a civilian population, ever led to some kind of results on the battlefield. Would they be deterred by that? When did it ever happen? It didn't happen in any war," he concluded.

Solovyov, who had been listening quietly, didn't appear upset by Kedmi's comment, quickly saying: "Fine, then we'll keep responding on the level of a girl in the 5th grade, who's crying that our peaceful cities are being bombed."

"I didn't say that," Kedmi said, "but that's the other option. [...] It's not an option to bomb a peaceful city and its population. [...] There are 1,001 ways to fight without touching civilians."

Solovyov, who had until then tried to defend his position saying they would first warn civilians before bombing their cities, remained temporarily quiet by the end of Kedmi's speech, standing with arms crossed and head down.

The episode is a rare example of disagreement among some of the Kremlin's strongest supporters.

Kedmi, who was born in Moscow in 1947 but publicly renounced Soviet citizenship in 1968 in order to emigrate to Israel, has been a familiar face on Russian TV since the 2010s.

According to a database kept by Free Russia Forum (FRF)—a conference of the Russian opposition held twice a year in Vilnius, Lithuania—Kedmi is accused of collaborating with the Putin regime and participating in Kremlin TV propaganda.

According to FRF, Kedmi "regularly criticizes Ukraine, accuses the Ukrainian leadership of Nazism, and Ukrainian society of antisemitism, using expressions such as 'Maidan bastards.'"

Solovyov, 58, is considered one of the main supporters of Putin on Russian TV.

In 2014, Solovyov supported the annexation of Crimea and since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the host has supported the Kremlin's "special military operation" in Ukraine.

As the conflict continued without any significant victory from Moscow, Solovyov often escalated his tone, often mentioning Russia's capacity to launch a nuclear strike and calling for the Kremlin to bomb and destroy Ukrainian cities.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more