Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class (for great merits in shaping the image of Russia and active participation in socially significant events, 2022)
In 1990, Solovyov left for the
United States to teach economics. There he actively participated in political life and started doing business. Upon his return to Russia in 1992, he continued to run his business. In 1997 Solovyov became a presenter on the
Silver Rain Radio. In 1999, he was invited to the
ORT TV channel, where, together with
Alexander Gordon, he began to host the program "Process". At the same time he hosted the program "Passion for Solovyov" on
TNT channel. From 2001 to 2003 Solovyov hosted the programs "Breakfast with Solovyov", "Night of Nightingale", "Duel" and "Look Who's Here!" on
TV-6 and
TVS.
In June 2003, Solovyov was hired by
NTV, where he hosted the talk shows "Orange Juice", "
To the Barrier!", and "
Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov". Since 2004 Solovyov has published a number of books of artistic and journalistic nature, as well as recorded two music albums. He became a famous interviewer, and in 2005 he received the
TEFI award in the relevant category. In the summer of 2010 Solovyov left Silver Rain Radio and moved to
Vesti FM radio and
Russia-1 TV channel, where he began hosting the talk show "
Poyedinok".[10]
In March 2022,
YouTube blocked his channel Solovyov Live. Since then, he was assigned the TV channel frequency of the news channel
Euronews, which Russia banned after the
invasion of Ukraine.
Early life and education
Vladimir Rudolfovich Solovyov was born on October 20, 1963, in Moscow,
Russian SFSR,
USSR, to a Jewish family.[11] His father, Rudolf Naumovich Solovyov, was a teacher of political economy and a boxing champion of Moscow. His mother, Inna Solomonovna Solovyova, worked as an art critic at the Battle of Borodino Museum.[12][13]
Solovyov's parents met when they were students of the
Moscow Pedagogical Institute. They separated when Vladimir was four years old, but continued to maintain friendly relations. Solovyov's maternal grandfather, Solomon Lvovich Shapiro, was a participant in the
Great Patriotic War (Russian term for the Eastern front of
WWII) head of the flight test station (LIS), and a lieutenant colonel. His paternal grandfather, Naum Semyonovich Vinitskovsky, was also a participant in the Great Patriotic War and a holder of the
Order of the Red Star.[12][14]
Solovyov attended school №. 72 in Moscow for his first year of education. From the second grade onward, he studied at the elite special school №. 27 with the study of a number of subjects in English, where the children and grandchildren of members of the Soviet
Central Committee of the CPSU, diplomats, and other notable figures studied. This school is now known as secondary school №. 1232 with in-depth study of the English language. At the age of 14, Solovyov was admitted to the Komsomol, the
Communist Union of Youth.[15]
In the ninth grade, Solovyov became interested in
karate. Prior to that, he played football and trained at the Moscow Youth Football School. However, due to the need to practice karate at the same time, he was forced to give up football.[12]
After finishing school, Vladimir Solovyov enrolled at the
Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys in 1980. He graduated with honors in 1986, after completing the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry. During his time at the institute, he studied alongside
Vladislav Surkov and
Mikhail Fridman, both of whom Solovyov had known since 1981.[16][17]
Following his work in the Committee of Youth Organizations, Solovyov continued his education by enrolling in postgraduate studies at the
Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the
USSR Academy of Sciences. He completed his studies at the institute and, in 1990, defended his dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences. The dissertation was titled "The main trends in the production of new materials and the factors of efficiency of their use in the industry of the
USA and
Japan" and was completed under the scientific supervision of Doctor of Economics, Professor Yuriy Kurenkov. The degree was awarded in the specialty of "the economy of the
capitalist countries."[19]
In 1999, Solovyov first appeared as a presenter on two TV talk shows: The Process on the
ORT channel (with
Alexander Gordon) (1999–2001) and Passion for Solovyov on the
TNT channel (1999–2002). These were followed by his own projects Breakfast with Solovyov and Nightingale Night on
TV6, the latter being the final show broadcast on the station before it was shut down in early 2002, as well as Look Who's Coming!, Duel on
TVS and Orange Juice on
NTV.[citation needed]
On New Year's Eve in 2013, the
Ukrainian comedian
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, future president of Ukraine, and the Russian comedian
Maxim Galkin, who later spoke out against the war in Ukraine and fled Russia in 2022, performed together in a traditional New Year's program called Little Blue Light on the
Russia-1 TV channel. Solovyov also appeared on the show as one of the presenters and danced in the audience during Zelenskyy's performance.[21]
Since September, 2018 Solovyov has hosted the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin. show on the channel Russia-1,[22] in which for one hour he talks about the deeds done by the president over the past week.[23] The intonation of the program, the selection of guests – in the premiere, they turned out to be only individuals connected with state power: the president's press secretary
Dmitry Peskov and the State Duma deputy from
United RussiaAndrei Makarov - the co-host (
VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, has prompted a number of media outlets to consider the show to be an attempt to raise the rating of Putin.[24][25][26][27][28][29][excessive citations]
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 23 February 2022, one day before the commencement of
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Solovyov was sanctioned by the
European Union and has been barred from entering the EU countries so long as the sanctions remain in force. All his EU domiciled assets have been frozen.[30]
In the lead-up to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Solovyov claimed that Russia has "enough firepower for the full annihilation of the Ukrainian military infrastructure without an incursion of forces into Ukrainian territory. But we aren't preparing to do this."[31] He later voiced support for Putin's invasion of Ukraine, saying that "Today is the day that a righteous operation was launched for the
de-Nazification in Ukraine."[32][33]
On 27 February 2022, Solovyov said he had been placed on a list of international sanctions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that his ownership of real estate at
Lake Como was at risk.[34] Later, on March 5, 2022, The Guardian wrote that the
Financial Guard of Italy seized his villa, along with billionaire
Alisher Usmanov's property.[35] On April 6, 2022, his villa on the shores of Lake Como caught fire and was severely damaged, in what was probably an intentional fire.[36]
In March 2022, Solovyov warned: "if you think we're going to stop with Ukraine, think 300 times, I will remind you that Ukraine is merely an intermediate stage in the provision of the safety of the Russian Federation."[37] He accused Western-backed Ukrainian "
Banderites" of attempting to assassinate him because he is a "Jewish
anti-fascist."[11]
As of March 2022, YouTube had blocked his channel Solovyov Live according to its three strikes policy.[38] He then was assigned the TV frequency of the news channel
Euronews, which was banned in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.[39]
On 20 April 2022, Solovyov talked on
Russian state TV about a new stage of the war that started as part of the "special operation" against Ukraine. He said this new stage of war would be against "NATO's war machine and all its citizens", asserting that Russia "will show no mercy".[40][41]
On 26 April 2022, while discussing the possibility of
World War III and
nuclear war with Solovyov on Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, RT editor-in-chief
Margarita Simonyan said, "Personally, I think that the most realistic way is the way of
World War III, based on knowing us and our leader, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin knowing how everything works around here, it's impossible—there is no chance—that we will give up…We're all going to die someday." Solovyov added, "But we will go to heaven, while they will simply croak."[42]
Igor Albin, former Vice Governor of
Saint Petersburg, wrote on his Telegram channel: "Crazy 'propagandists' will burn in hell. You don't scold your own in times of war, but you shouldn't be proud of them either. There will be no winners in a
nuclear war!"[43] In June 2022, Solovyov warned that the US–UK
military shipments to Ukraine were seen by the
Kremlin as an escalation of the conflict, saying that "I hope we'll live through this. If everything keeps progressing the way that it is, only a couple of mutants in
Lake Baikal will survive; the rest will be destroyed in a massive nuclear strike."[44]
On 13 May 2022, he complained that Russian troops were being sent to Ukraine with "hopelessly obsolete weapons."[45] On 18 August 2022, he suggested attacking Berlin, Paris, London and Brussels using missiles.[46]
On 8 October 2022, a fire broke out on the
Crimean Bridge as a result of
an explosion on the road part of the bridge. Solovyov urged retaliatory strikes across all Ukraine targeting "bridges, dams, railways,
thermal power plants and other infrastructure facilities".[50] He also called on Putin to reinstate
Joseph Stalin's
Soviet-era counter-intelligence agency
SMERSH – whose motto was "Death to Spies" – to suppress any
internal opposition to the war in Ukraine.[51]
Towards the end of November 2022, Solovyov suggested that Russia should attack Norway, since the General Secretary of NATO,
Jens Stoltenberg, is a Norwegian. This was not taken very seriously in Norway.[52]
Solovyov has repeatedly called for Russia to escalate the war with
nuclear strikes.[53][54] In January 2023, he said that "life is highly overrated" and urged Russians not to fear death, saying "Why be afraid of what is inevitable? We'll go to heaven."[49]
Solovyov criticized
Israel's actions in the
Gaza Strip during the
2023 Israel–Hamas war, saying "I hope the West will shut up with those statements about the brutality of the Russian army. You want brutality? Look at how the Israeli army is fighting."[55] He warned of the coming "global jihad" against the West and called for Russia's alliance with the
Muslim world.[56]
On 30 January 2024, Solovyov warned
Boris Nadezhdin, the only
anti-war candidate in the
2024 Russian presidential election, saying "I feel bad for Boris. The fool didn’t realize that he’s not being set up to run for president but for a criminal case on charges of betraying the Motherland."[57]
Conflicts, 2006–2022
In October 2006, Solovyov moderated a televised debate between the candidates for the post of the head of the
Samara city district, Viktor Tarkhov and Georgy Limansky. As Solovyov insulted Tarkhov during and after the broadcast, Tarkhov filed a lawsuit against him for 10 million rubles. After a year and a half, the court partially satisfied the claim, collecting 70 thousand rubles from the defendant.[58]
In February 2014, Solovyov announced on air of the Full Contact program, that "under the auspices of" the Faculty of Applied
Political Science at the
Higher School of Economics, "organized terrorist groups" were operating, who prepared the "
Maidan underground".[59] The university reacted negatively to both Solovyov's statements and students' remarks, and attempts to link the institution with the political position of the participants in the scandal were regarded as a provocation.[60][61]
In June 2014, businessman
Sergei Polonsky appealed to the Savelovsky court of Moscow with a claim for the protection of honour and compensation for moral damage in the amount of 200 million rubles against the "Vesti FM" radio station and Solovyov because of his broadcast in November 2013.[62] Polonsky lost the lawsuit.[63]
In June 2016, he intervened in the
election campaign, harshly criticizing the
KVN actress
Yulia Mikhalkova-Matyukhina, who took the "passing place" in the primaries of
United Russia in the Sverdlovsk region, who built her campaign under the slogan "I can take care of myself, I can also take care of the country".[65] After that Mikhalkova-Matyukhina withdrew her candidacy.[66]
In September 2017, during the broadcast of
Channel One's program Evening Urgant, presenter
Ivan Urgant said in response to the remark of former
MTV Russia presenter
Irena Ponaroshku about the face mask from the nightingale droppings brought to her studio: "First of all, this is a good name for a
show on the "Russia" channel..." (The surname "Solovyev" is derived from "solovey", a Russian word for "nightingale".).[67][68]
The episode of the show did not go unnoticed by Solovyov: a few days after this TV broadcast, in his live program for the Far East, he made the following speech: "I know a great way to avoid getting into the
Myrotvorets. It's enough to make a nasty joke about me on your channel".[69] When broadcasting the release of Solovyov's program to Moscow, this comment was cut out at the request of the presenter himself. Later, in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda, Solovyov regarded the passage of Urgant as a "declaration of war".[70]
In November 2018, a picket was held in
St. Petersburg against Vladimir Solovyov.[71] The police detained seven people, six of whom were soon released. A protocol was drawn up against one of the participants in the picket, Pavel Ivankin, under an administrative article on disobeying the lawful demand of a police officer. The picket participants compared Solovyov particularly with
Julius Streicher, one of the main propagandists of
Nazi Germany, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Der Stürmer.[71][72]
In May 2019, during the protests in
Yekaterinburg against the construction of the Cathedral of St. Catherine in the park near the Drama Theatre, Vladimir Solovyov called the protesting people "demons" and "devils", and promised to visit the city to purge them.[73] In response to Solovyov, the protesters began to sue him, and he was even challenged to a duel.[74]
In April 2020, sports journalist
Vasily Utkin criticized the
Russian government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic on television. Solovyov responded by calling Utkin "fat" and a mentally ill person. This led to an exchange of insults between the two, during which Solovyov threatened Utkin with physical violence.[75]
In August 2022, Solovyov began to criticize
Alla Pugacheva, a famous Russian singer, for leaving Russia temporarily and accused her of lacking patriotism. In September, he further accused her of making money out of supporting "various political candidates" during election campaigns and not paying taxes on these incomes. Pugacheva responded by warning Solovyov on social media that he could "burst from anger and rudeness" and stating that she was going to "fill the face of one person," although she did not specify whom. On 7 September, Solovyov appeared on the air with abrasions on his face and refused to comment on the reason for his injuries.[76]
Controversies and criticism
Numerous media organizations have described Solovyov as a propagandist.[3][4][6][8][77] Solovyov regularly talks about his
patriotism,[78] the rapid development of Russia under Putin and the
decline [
ru] of the
West.[79] On November 21, 2007, at a pre-election rally forum in
Luzhniki, Solovyov spoke in support of Putin and described him as a "strong, intelligent, talented leader" who loves the Motherland and does everything to make Russians proud of their country.[80]
In 2011, Solovyov made comments on the
Vesti FM radio station comparing the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict to the Holocaust. The religious community of the
Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan sent a note of protest to the leadership of the Vesti FM radio station and the
Russian Jewish Congress, criticizing Solovyov's behavior and claiming that his remarks were offensive to the Azerbaijani people.[81]
At the end of February 2014, together with a number of other pro-Putin journalists, public and political figures Solovyov signed an appeal for the "All of us are
Berkut" foundation, which was created mainly to support the members of the Ukrainian special unit "Berkut" which was involved in violence and shootings against Ukrainian protesters during the
Orange Revolution and
Euromaidan.[82]
Since the
Russo-Ukrainian War began in 2014, Solovyov's position has mirrored that of president Putin and the Russian government: that the conflict was between the fascists of the Ukrainian
maidan and the anti-fascists of the rebel-held eastern territories.[83]
Solovyov has changed his opinion on different questions numerous times; for example, the
Crimean problem. Solovyov on
Crimea:[84]
Any person who tries to start a war between Russia and Ukraine is a criminal, moreover, I can't even imagine the extent of such criminality. In Ukraine live people fraternal to us in spirit, in blood, in common history. Do not shout "Sevastopol is ours!" Do not shout "Crimea is ours!" (2008).
And why do you need Crimea?... It was, without a doubt, legitimately transferred (to Ukraine) by Kruschev. If we suddenly say (we're taking it back) – it means war. Do you want a war with Ukraine? How many Ukrainian and Russian lives are you ready to lay down in order to take Crimea, which (by the way) has long become a Tatar territory?... Crimeans are against (rejoining Russia). (2013).
We were bringing this day as close as we could. Crimea and Sevastopol are again a part of Russia. Historical justice has triumphed! (March 18, 2014).
In June 2017, Solovyov called participants in an anti-
corruption in Russia rally in Moscow "the eternal two percent of shit", "children of corrupt officials" and "majoritarian imbeciles", and he also stated that "if not for the police, the (counter-protest) people would have torn them to shreds". The statement was criticized by journalist
Alexander Nevzorov. Solovyov continued to use similar remarks against some audience members and Russian opposition journalists.[85][86][87]
In February 2020,
Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) lawyer Alexander Golovach turned to the
Investigative Committee with a request to check Solovyov's documentary Mussolini. Sunset on the subject of violation of the law "On counteraction to the rehabilitation of Nazism" and other normative legal acts.[88]
In May 2020, a petition on
change.org started collecting signatures for banning Solovyov from entering Italy and the EU. The petition was addressed to the Italian Interior Minister,
Luciana Lamorgese, and received the support of more than 200,000 people.[89][90] Solovyov refused to comment on the appearance of this initiative.[91]
He's crazy and dangerous. Such people are unpredictable, they can say, do, hit, humiliate anything they want. It took a very long time to think, for years, probably, in order to come to such a lofty discovery – to compare the opposition figure, a man who is fighting for democracy, with Hitler. You have to be a madman and a very bad person.
To call Hitler a brave man – we must boldly call Solovyov a scoundrel. Once, when Solovyov was more or less like a man, he came up to me and said: "Allochka, but you know, I am a Jew". I told him that he is a disgrace to our nation. Now I repeat this: he is not only a disgrace to my nation, he is a disgrace to all our people, to any decent community. I'm just in a fury.
On February 21, 2024, famed Russian
milbloggerAndrey Morozov (aka Murz) committed
suicide shortly after he posted that Solovyov bullied him into deleting an earlier post on
telegram that reported Russian forces lost over 16,000 men and 300 vehicles in the
Battle of Avdiivka. In his suicide letter Morozov stated he did so due to harassment from his commanding officers, who where “political prostitutes led by Vladimir Solovyov.”[97][98]
Allegations of propaganda
Vladimir Solovyov has been referred to by some as a propagandist and accused of spreading
disinformation. The Russian state media describes him as a TV presenter, while the Ukrainian media refers to him as a propagandist. Some independent Russian media outlets describe him as a propagandist, and he was called a propagandist by 2018 Russian presidential candidate
Ksenia Sobchak during a live pre-election debate. The
U.S. State Department has called him "the most energetic Kremlin propagandist."[99][100][101][102][103]
Solovyov has been criticized for his methods of work, which include the use of hate speech, hysteria, shouting, getting personal, direct insults, and humiliation. He has also been accused of spreading disinformation on his TV show Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, his radio program Full Contact, and on social networks. Some of the disinformation theses highlighted by the U.S. State Department from January to March 2022, circulated by Solovyov, include claims that:[104][105][99]
On January 26, 2022, Solovyov said that the U.S. is trying to push Ukraine into war with Russia to destroy the European economy and make it dependent on American liquefied natural gas.
On January 29, 2022, Solovyov claimed that President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is mentally ill and that Kyiv is planning a massive terrorist attack in the Donbass.
On January 30, 2022, Solovyov alleged that Britain, Poland, and Ukraine were planning to attack Russia.
On January 31, 2022, Solovyov claimed that
Anglo-Saxons dream of a war between Russia and Ukraine.
On February 2, 2022, Solovyov said that the U.S. was planning to impose sanctions on Russian children and wreak havoc in Europe.
On March 6, 2022, Solovyov alleged that Ukrainians staged fake Russian attacks.
On March 12, 2022, Solovyov claimed that the Pentagon was developing biological weapons in Ukraine.
On March 16, 2022, Solovyov claimed that Ukrainians were killing their own civilians to frame Russia, while Russia only targets military facilities.
Solovyov has also spread narratives that the British were responsible for the
mass killings of civilians in Bucha because the name of the city is consonant with the English word "butcher", the word used by President
Biden to describe Putin,[106][107][108] and that the poisonings of
Sergei Skripal and
Alexei Navalny were staged by the West as provocations to later blame Russia.[109][110] He has also compared German Chancellor
Olaf Scholz with 'his moustached idol'
Adolf Hitler.[111]
The EUvsDisinfo project has documented 195 cases of disinformation emanating from Solovyov's programs since 2015.[112]Novaya Gazeta's analysis of Solovyov's career casts doubt on his current deep commitment to the values and interests of the Putin's regime. At the beginning of his career, Solovyov was a respected independent journalist, but apparently, in some matters, he went on the "false trail" to keep the favor of the Russian authorities. For example, in 2013 he rejected the idea of annexing Crimea, warning that this could lead to an unjustified war and called the peninsula legally belonging to Ukraine.[113][114] However, just a year later, after the
annexation of Crimea by Russia, he declared: "We were bringing this day as close as we could – Crimea and Sevastopol are again part of Russia. Historical justice has prevailed."[115][116]
Personal life
Vladimir Solovyov is known to have been married three times and has eight children from his marriages. His first wife's name is Olga, and they have two children together: Polina, born in 1986, and Alexander, born in 1988. Polina graduated from the Humanitarian Institute of Television and Radio Broadcasting named after M. A. Litovchin and is currently a host of information programs on the Moscow 24 TV channel. Alexander is a director of commercials and music videos and graduated from the
University of the Arts London.[117]
His second wife's name is Yulia, and they have a daughter named Ekaterina Solovyova, who was born on February 10, 1991, in the United States. In 2012, she graduated from the Shchukin Theater School.[118][119]
Since 2001, Solovyov has been married to Helga Solovyova (née Sepp), who is also Jewish, a psychologist and daughter of a known Russian satirist
Viktor Koklyushkin. She is of
Volga German and
Estonian descent on her mother's side.[120] Together, they have five children: Daniil Solovyov, born on October 12, 2001, Sofia-Betina Solovyova, born in 2003, Emma-Esther Sepp, born in December 2006, Vladimir Solovyov, born on February 14, 2010, and Ivan Solovyov, born on October 6, 2012.[121]
In February 2023, he defended his 21-year-old son Daniil, who studied in
London a few years ago, against critics who asked why his son had not volunteered to fight in Ukraine. Vladimir Solovyov had previously encouraged every able-bodied Russian male to volunteer for service and fight in the war in Ukraine, and condemned young people who left Russia to avoid
mobilization.[119]
Solovyov has mentioned that he has
Jewish roots and professes Judaism. He also holds a residence permit and tax resident status in Italy for himself and his children from his marriage to Elga Sepp since 2009.[11]
Solovyov is said to have a black belt in karate, although it is unclear which federation awarded it to him or under what circumstances. He has only appeared in public in a kimono once, at the hall of an unrecognized federation of Kosiki Karate in Russia. However, he was unable to demonstrate his martial arts technique and his trainers were individuals known for promoting false martial arts.[122]
Solovyov considers himself a
Soviet patriot and frequently hosts his program wearing a jacket with a hammer and sickle.[123]
Property
Vladimir Solovyov is known to have several properties in both the
European Union and the
Russian Federation. In the European Union, he has a villa located on the Italian
Lake Como, which was discovered by the
Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) in 2019.[124] Solovyov appeared on Boris Korchevnikov's program "The Fate of a Man" on
Russia-1 TV channel, where he confirmed the villa's existence and said he purchased it in the early 2000s for his large family at a time when the property was cheaper than a similar mansion in Rublyovka.[125] He also claimed to have been in business since the Soviet era, to regularly pay taxes, and to have never served in the civil service.[126]
In January 2019, FBK discovered that Solovyov owned a second villa on Lake Como and a
Maybach car.[127][128][129] In July 2019, FBK found that Solovyov has
permanent residency status in Italy;[130] and the next day, the founder of FBK,
Alexei Navalny, was arrested.[131]
In February 2022, Russian government agency,
Roskomnadzor, due to the FBK's recognition as an extremist organization in Russia,[132] demanded that various media outlets remove publications about a number of FBK investigations, including those containing information about Solovyov's Italian property.[133]
Moreover, after the
Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it was discovered that Solovyov had a house in the mountains and another on the coast. The FBK also uncovered that Solovyov had an Italian resident certificate issued to him after buying a villa on Lake Como. On March 5, 2022, two of his villas on Lake Como were seized by the state.[134][135][136]
In the Russian Federation, Solovyov owns three apartments in Moscow on Dolgorukovskaya Street.[137] The apartments include a four-room apartment measuring 160 sq. meters, a duplex apartment measuring 146 sq. meters which he bought from the producer Alexander Tolmatsky, and a 140 sq. meter apartment bought from Tolmatsky's son, rapper Decl.[138] Solovyov also owns a house in the
Moscow region with a plot of 60 acres and a four-story mansion with an area of over 1000 sq. meters located in the village of Stolnoye. Additionally, he has a
dacha that measures 1046 sq. meters.[139][140]
According to the FBK, the total value of Solovyov's real estate in Moscow, the Moscow region, and Pianello del Lario is estimated to be 1 billion rubles. However, Solovyov himself disagrees with this assessment, considering it to be overpriced, though he does describe himself as a "rich, wealthy" person.[141][142]
Assassination hoax
In April 2022, President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian
Federal Security Service (FSB) had stopped a Ukrainian
neo-Nazi plot to kill Solovyov; the FSB then released video of a raid of the alleged plotters' apartment, where a book signed with the words "Signature unclear", a green wig, three The Sims video game boxes, a Nazi-styled t-shirt, a portrait of
Adolf Hitler, and Ukrainian passports were shown. Nataliya Vasilyeva of The Daily Telegraph reported that the video "raised suspicions that the foiled plot may have been a Russian intelligence hoax", as the signature seemed like "an apparent instruction carried out too literally", while The Sims boxes being shown could be an error "instead of mobile phone
Sim cards that would have helped frame the plot." The supposed
Ukrainian passports were also noted to have been outdated.[143][144]
Work
Television
Актуальное интервью «Страсти по Соловьёву»/«Страсти по…»; (Interview of current interest "Passion for Solovyov" / "Passion for ...") —
TNT, 1999–2002[145]
Ток-шоу «Процесс» (совместно с Александром Гордоном); (Talk show "Process" (together with
Alexander Gordon)) —
ORT, 1999–2001[146][147]
Утренний канал "На свежую голову"/"Сегоднячко на свежую голову" (совместно с Еленой Ильиной); Morning channel "With a fresh mind" / "Today with a fresh mind" (together with Elena Ilyina) — TNT, 2000-2001[145]
Документальное наблюдение «Завтрак с Соловьёвым»; Documentary observation "Breakfast with Solovyov" —
TV-6, 2001–2002;
TVS, 2002[148]
Музыкальная программа "Соловьиная ночь"; Musical program "Nightingale Night" — TV-6, 2001–2002[149]
Новогоднее шоу "Венеция в Москве" (совместно с Юлией Бордовских); New Year's show "Venice in Moscow" (together with Yulia Bordovskikh) — TV-6, 2001[150]
Актуальное интервью "Смотрите, кто пришёл!"; Interview of current interest "Look who's here!" — TVS, 2002–2003[151]
Ток-шоу "Поединок"; Talk show "Duel" — TVS, 2002–2003;[151]Russia-1, 2010–2017[152]
Теледебаты кандидатов в депутаты Государственной думы РФ и Президента РФ; Television debates of candidates to the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the President of the Russian Federation — Russia-1, 2011–2012, 2018
Детский конкурс талантов "Синяя птица"; Children's talent contest "Blue Bird", Russia-1[153]
Ток-шоу "Кто против?" (совместно с Сергеем Михеевым); Talk show "Who is against?" (together with Sergey Mikheev) — Russia-1, 2019[154][155]
Narrative films
Year
Title
Role
2000
Агент национальной безопасности — 2 (24 серия — Технология убийства)
National Security Agent — 2 (Episode 24 — Killing Technology)
2013 — «Муссолини. Закат» (Mussolini. Sunset) — author and presenter.[156]
2015 — «Президент» (The President) — co-author and presenter.[157]
2015 — «Миропорядок» (World Order) — co-author and presenter.[158]
2018 — «Миропорядок 2018» (World Order 2018) — author and presenter.[159]
In popular media
On September 28, 2019,
Boris Grebenshchikov uploaded the song "Evening M" on his YouTube channel, which described a typical television propagandist. ("M" stands for "Mudozvon", which is a rude Russian word.)[160] Solovyov claimed that Grebenshchikov had "degraded to a coupletist," and also that "there is a program in Russia that has the word "Evening" in its name, alluding to the program "
Evening Urgant".[161] Grebenshchikov replied: "There is an insurmountable distance between "Evening U" and "Evening M" – as between dignity and shame."[162]
Solovyov then argued that the song is dedicated to the
President of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy.[166][167] The phrase "Evening M" have become associated with Solovyov, and journalist
Vladimir Pozner expressed the opinion that "he deserved what he got" and that Solovyov does great harm to journalism, and he "will not shake his hand at a meeting".[168][169][170]
In October 2019, Solovyov got into the Guinness Book of Records for the longest time on television as a host in the span of one week (25 hours 53 minutes and 57 seconds).[171]
On October 30, 2019, the British television channel
Channel 4 released the film The World According to Putin. It is a 50-minute set of fragments of Russian political talk shows and Vladimir Putin's speeches. The film included statements by Solovyov, in particular, that "Britain has degraded to the level of a public toilet". According to The Guardian columnist Stuart Jeffries, the film displayed the "propaganda machine in full swing – just the thing to distract from a nation in chaos".[172][173][174]
Awards
In the fall of 2005, Solovyov was awarded the
TEFI Russian television prize as the best interviewer.[175]
Мы — русские! С нами Бог! (We are Russians! God with us!) — 2009. —
ISBN978-5-699-37611-7.
Соловьёв против Соловьёва. Худеть или не худеть? (Solovyov against Solovyov. To lose weight or not to lose weight?) — М.: Eksmo, 2009. —
ISBN978-5-699-32605-1.
Минус 80 килограммов! Кто больше? (Minus 80 kilograms! Who is more?) — М.: Eksmo, 2009. — 256 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-32605-1.
Путин — Медведев. Что дальше? (Putin — Medvedev. What's next?) — М.: Eksmo, 2010. — 384 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-40992-1. (Co-authored with
Nikolai Zlobin).
1001 вопрос о прошлом, настоящем и будущем России. (1001 questions about the past, present and future of Russia) — М.: Eksmo-Press, 2010. — 288 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-43999-7.
Русская рулетка. Заметки на полях новейшей истории. (Russian roulette. Notes on the margins of recent history) — М.: Eksmo-Press, 2010. — 352 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-42522-8.
Манипуляции. Атакуй и защищайся! (Manipulation. Attack and Defend!) — М.: Eksmo, 2011. — 352 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-43859-4.
Евангелие от Соловьёва. (The Gospel of Solovyov) — М.: Eksmo, 2011. — 352 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-51500-4.
Враги России. (Enemies of Russia) — М.: Eksmo, 2011. — 320 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-52340-5.
Последний солдат империи: Юрий Дмитриевич Маслюков в воспоминаниях современников. (The last soldier of the empire: Yuri Dmitrievich Maslyukov in the memoirs of his contemporaries) — М.: Eksmo, 2011. — 224 p., 1 000 cop. —
ISBN978-5-699-50107-6.
Империя коррупции. Территория русской национальной игры. (Empire of corruption. The territory of the Russian national game) — М.: Eksmo, 2012. —
ISBN978-5-699-54425-7.
Русский вираж. Куда идёт Россия? (Russian bend. Where is Russia going?) — М.: Eksmo, 2014 (Co-authored with
Nikolai Zlobin). —
ISBN978-5-699-73222-7.
Разрыв шаблона. (Breaking the pattern) — М.: Eksmo, 2015. — 320 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-79372-3.
Русская тройка. (Russian troika) — М.: Eksmo, 2016. — 735 p. —
ISBN978-5-699-88126-0.
^Kuzminov, Sergey (5 June 2017).
"Почему Соловьев не любит ВШЭ?" [Why Solovyov doesn't like HSE?]. The Vyshka (in Russian). Retrieved 19 November 2020.