On Sunday evening Russian state television hosts Vladimir Solovyov and Margarita Simonyan unleashed a barrage of threats and insults aimed squarely at Europe and the United States. During the programme “Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov,” Solovyov warned France and Germany that their cities would burn if they intervened in the conflict in Ukraine. He declared that Russians were born for victory and vowed to destroy any European nation that dared join the war.
Margarita Simonyan, head of RT, echoed his remarks and recalled her own disillusionment with the American education system. She described a 1995 history lesson in a Florida school where she shocked classmates and teachers by correctly naming the 1776 Declaration of Independence. Simonyan used the anecdote to argue that poor historical knowledge in the West led US president Donald Trump to claim America had won the Second World War. She reacted with disbelief at his assertion and implied that his flawed view stemmed from inadequate schooling rather than malice.
Both presenters seized on Russian dictator’s recent admission that the conflict constituted a war, a term he had long avoided. They contrasted that declaration with this weekend’s commemorations of the Second World War’s 80th anniversary, insisting that Western memory of history was fading. The show ended with a call for new “heroes” to rise and crush “fascist” forces once more.
