A prominent Russian TV presenter, known for spreading anti-Ukrainian sentiment and propaganda, has publicly complained that he has lost access to his two Italian villas for millions of dollars on television due to sanctions imposed by Russiathe invasion of the neighboring nation.
“Is this the Iron Curtain?” Putin’s journalist and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said on the set of his late show “Evening with Vladimir Solovyov” on Friday, after learning that new sanctions imposed by Italian officials would prevent him from accessing a couple of properties he owns by the lake. Como – down the river. path from A-list George Clooney.
“I was told that Europe is a citadel of rights, that everything is allowed, that’s what they said,” said the Russian-speaking leader, who has been one of Putin’s most prominent mouthpieces for years, to a group of pro-Russian experts.
“I know from personal experience of so-called ‘sacred property rights,'” Soloviev, 58, told the commission, which discussed the aftermath of the ongoing conflict – which reached its fourth day on Sunday and left at least 245 Ukrainians dead – in Russian citizens.
However, after learning that the conflict would affect him and his assets personally, after being sanctioned by Italian officials denying him access to his holiday homes – two large complexes estimated at tens of millions – the TV presenter continued passionately on the air tirade.
“In each transaction, I carried documents showing my salary, income, I did everything,” said the host, known for condemning Europe and the West for their alleged perversion and disintegration.
“I bought it, I paid crazy taxes, I did everything. And suddenly someone decides that this journalist is now on the sanctions list. And it immediately affects your real estate. Wait a minute. But you told us that Europe has sacred property rights!
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“Is this the Iron Curtain?” Putin’s journalist and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said on the set of his late show “Evening with Vladimir Solovyov” after learning that new sanctions imposed by Italian officials would prevent him from accessing two properties he owns near Lake Como.
Pictured here is one of Soloviev’s properties, probably valued at tens of millions. The property has 14 rooms, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, living room, kitchen, entrance hall, boiler room and closet, as well as a guest house of 90 sq.m with three guest rooms, two bathrooms, bathroom with toilet. cellar and private veranda of closed type
Pictured here is Soloviev’s second million-dollar Italian estate, also on Lake Como.
Astonished by the restrictions that officials say could lead to the loss of the journalist’s property if the conflict escalates, Solovyov became angry: “Suddenly now they say, ‘Are you Russian? Then we will close your bank account if this is in Europe. “
He continued: “And if he is in England, you have the right to keep no more than a certain amount there. Why? Because you’re Russian
The famous Russian economist Mikhail Khazin, 59, intervened: “And this is if you have an old account. They will not open a new one.
Soloviev then offered the panel a dramatic comparison between the consequences for Kremlin propagandists from countries against Russia’s occupation of Ukraine and the Cold War.
“Is this the Iron Curtain?” Asked the presenter, who appeared visibly emotional during the strange call.
German-based expert Alexander Sosnowski said: “Yes, absolutely” before proposing a controversial reclassification of the reaction facing Kremlin supporters following their full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
News anchor Soloviev, one of Putin’s most used mouthpieces, complained on Friday that he had lost access to property as a result of sanctions imposed by Italian officials since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which has already led to 245 deaths of Ukrainians
“The Iron Curtain at its worst,” the commentator said. “Painted in LGBT colors.”
Soloviev and other participants in the discussion continued to nod in agreement, without mentioning the effects of the ongoing military occupation on Ukrainian citizens.
In 2019, Soloviev and other Kremlin propagandists came under scrutiny after a report by Putin’s prominent rival and Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny revealed that the longtime NTV presenter owned not one but two million-dollar properties just down the road. Clooney’s mansion for $ 100 million on the historic Italian lake.
In 2019, Soloviev and other Kremlin propagandists came under scrutiny after a report by an opponent of Putin and a Russian anti-corruption activist revealed the existence of the multimillion-dollar estate of the longtime NTV presenter.
Last Christmas, Navalny’s FBK investigative team videotaped the state-run host’s luxury homes using a combination of drones and a lensman’s leg, leaving the host with Ukrainian chocolates – a blow to Soloviev’s repeated use of anti-Ukrainian propaganda.
Soloviev was later outraged by the mass activist’s report on reputational damage, publicly calling it an “outrageous breach of confidentiality.”
Later that year, Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent he blamed on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have denied any involvement.
Navalny subsequently spent five months recovering in Germany, but was arrested on his return to Russia and sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for what Russian officials say violated the terms of a suspended sentence resulting from 2014 fraud sentence
He is currently serving his sentence and has since been declared a “terrorist” by the Kremlin.
After revealing the existence of the two extensive properties – located a few miles apart – neighbors are demanding Soloviev’s expulsion from the extremely exclusive resort area, where properties like Soloviev’s are usually valued at tens of millions.
In 2019, residents launched a petition to get local authorities to ensure that the TV presenter will not receive Italian citizenship through his residence.
Soloviev now says sanctions imposed by Italian government officials against the Kremlin following a full-scale military invasion could lead to the loss of ownership of both properties if the conflict worsens.
Russia entered the fourth day of its military operations in Ukraine on Sunday amid reports that the country’s invasion is lagging behind schedule and losing strength amid sanctions imposed on the nation by several countries that have expressed determination to stand with Ukraine during of the conflict.
Ukraine’s Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said in a statement posted on Facebook on Saturday that a total of 198 Ukrainians had been killed in the fighting, up from 137 a day earlier, with more than 1,000 wounded. Three children, he said, were among the dead.
President Putin today praised his special forces for “heroic military service” in a new televised address, as the British minister said his invasion was “far behind” the planned schedule and the autocrat could lose power if he fails.
To mark Russian Special Forces Day, Putin thanked soldiers for “heroically fulfilling their military duty” in Ukraine before repeating his propaganda line that his armies were helping the “People’s Republics of Donbass” – given two controlled by rebels region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia recognized as an independent state before its invasion.
Activist Alexei Navalny (left) was poisoned by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin
“I want to thank the command, the personnel of the special operations forces, the veterans of the special forces for their loyalty to the oath, for their impeccable service in the name of the people of Russia and our great homeland,” he said.
Russian forces today entered Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, after failing in a night-long effort to take control of the capital, Kiev. The Kremlin has so far not announced any deaths from the fighting, although the head of Dagestan’s regional government recently expressed his condolences to the family of a dead paratrooper in the event of a deviation from the scenario.
UK Armed Forces Secretary James Happy has insisted that “Putin’s days are numbered” if he fails in Ukraine, with his campaign lagging far behind schedule and facing several strong headwinds.
Happy, a former shooting major, said Putin’s forces had failed to capture key cities in the first few days of fighting, as had been planned, and left pockets of “well-armed” Ukrainians in the back of their front lines.
Russian military car seen set on fire in Kharkiv on Sunday morning after troops entered an eastern Ukrainian city
View of a residential building damaged by the recent shelling in Kharkiv on February 26th. Russia has ordered troops to advance into Ukraine “from all directions” as the Ukrainian capital Kiev imposed a full curfew and officials reported 198 civilian deaths.
This map shows the strikes that Russia has so far been known to have inflicted on Ukraine, with more explosions rocking the country in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A picture emerges of an accidental and disorganized invasion effort, with armored columns running out of fuel or lost, and some having to advance without air cover. Happy wrote the telegraph: “After three days of intense fighting, fueled by stubborn Ukrainian resistance, Russia is well behind schedule.
“Progress towards Kiev has been much slower than expected, they failed to capture key cities early and must now try to bypass them.
“This leaves pockets of well-armed and well-trained Ukrainians in the back of the Russian front line, revealing a vulnerable logistical queue – a sign of what Putin expects.”
At the same time, Ukrainians are volunteers in their crowd with “long queues” at recruitment centers, the minister wrote.
Meanwhile, footage from the town of Koryukivka, near the Russian border, shows hundreds of locals crowding the road to block the advance of a Russian tank column. Happy believes that if Putin fails and ordinary Russians realize “how little he cares about them … [his] “The days as president will certainly be numbered, as will those of the kleptocratic elite that surround him.”
“He will lose power and will not be able to choose his successor.”