Victoria Bonya was recently a guest on the air of Vladimir Solovyov, who insulted her. They reconciled and can now cooperate in “working with appeals”.
TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov apologized for insulting blogger Victoria Bonya on live broadcast.
The conflict between Victoria Bonya, an Instagram star (she has about 14 million subscribers) and propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, started after the blogger published a video appeal to Putin “on behalf of the people” on his account on April 14. He listed five problems that “none of the governors talk about” and said that people are afraid of Putin, but he is not. The people in the Kremlin informed that “work is being carried out” on the issues mentioned by Bonya. Later, with tears in his eyes, he thanked Putin and Peskov for paying attention to his appeal.
When Bonya’s appeal began to be widely discussed, Vladimir Solovyov on his evening show called her a “disgusted whore” who “shouldn’t open her dirty mouth and pollute everyone.” Deputy of the State Duma Vitaly Milonov joined him and called Bonya an “illiterate blogger” and “escort”. Social network users sharply criticized Solovyov for insulting words, and the blogger himself published a video created by artificial intelligence – in which Bonya in the form of Spider-Man fights against Solovyov, Milonov and Artemiy Lebedev. He said he would sue the propagandists.
In practice, Bonya was a guest on Solovyov’s broadcast on April 28.
Apologize and take Putin’s side
The broadcast began with Bonya complaining of pain in her leg, which she attributed to stress. “We consider it my fault,” said Vladimir Solovyov.
Then Bonya noted that the public’s attention was not focused on his appeal to Putin, but on his conflict with Solovyov:
I wrote an appeal to Putin about my feelings and what people wrote to me. It is important that they understand that their problems are not forgotten. I had no script, no one paid me. I would like you to apologize for insulting me. You should also apologize to (Italian Prime Minister Giorgia) Meloni.
The TV host apologized for what he said (“spy sent by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky” and “a naked prostitute”). Solovyov said that he became so emotional not because Bonya raised issues in his address, but because of his introductory words – the star of Instagram began his address with the following phrase: “Vladimir Vladimirovich, they are afraid of you. People are afraid of you, bloggers, artists are afraid of you, governors are afraid of you.”
When your appeal reached the higher ups, I was angered by the words that they were afraid of Putin. Because Putin is not feared in Russia, but loved. His arrival at the front will also be a celebration for the soldiers. You have been used, this has been picked up by Western publications whose main goal is to show that Russia has no democracy and that Putin is a dictator…
Of course I have to apologize. I got too emotional and should have taken my words more seriously.
Bonya thanked Solovyov for his apology and tried to return to the discussion of the topics mentioned in his address to Putin.
In particular, he said that now his Instagram followers are more worried about the environmental disaster in Tuapsa. Solovyov, saying that this is a different kind of problem, raised his voice and started talking about the war, noting that there is no war in Monaco, where he lives.
The blogger insisted that he does not discuss foreign policy, but Solovyov interrupted him and shouted that drones attacking Russia and hitting residential areas in Yekaterinburg are not considered foreign policy.
During the broadcast, Solovyov several times suggested Bonya to open some platform (for example, on the Max messenger or on the Solovyov Live show), where his team could work with requests from subscribers.
Misogyny (hatred of women) and Maloney
“I am grateful to be able to contact you,” Bonya replied. When she started talking about the importance of women realizing that men are listening to them, Solovyov interrupted her again. The topic of conversation again turned to misogyny (the TV presenter said at the beginning of the broadcast that it would not be correct to call him a misogynist, because most of the guests who come to his broadcast are women, and also that 70% of those who hate women are actually women themselves).
The TV presenter reprimanded Bonya for not following his broadcasts, which he explained by Solovyov’s regular swearing.
“I love my country – I live with my country,” said Solovyov.
Then Bonya asked the TV host to apologize to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – Solovyov insulted her as a “puta” (translated from Italian as “prostitute”), “a Nazi creature who betrayed her voters” and “a disgrace to humanity.” Solovyov interrupted the blogger when he started apologizing to her on behalf of all women in the country.
“Melony? No, no. You think of her as a woman, but she is the prime minister. I didn’t insult her as a woman, that’s a political term. I apologize if Meloni as a woman was offended. Italian politicians called Putin a “bloodthirsty executioner” and a “terrorist” – who will apologize to Putin? What about our people who are being killed in our border areas for the money supplied by the Italian Nazis? – the TV presenter shouted.
Bonya compared the situation to the relationship between a mother and a teenager. The parties were unable to agree on Meloni, equality and misogyny.
Bonya said that they parted “on a positive note”.
After the conversation
“Vika is a blessed, intelligent girl,” said Solovyov after the blogger left the air.
Bonya himself posted a new video on his Instagram shortly after the broadcast, in which he spoke about “women – soft power” and said that Solovyov promised to take into account the objections of him and his audience.
“Today showed me once again that soft power works,” he said.
Bonya Solovyov added that he will not take him to court because of his apology.
He also said that Solovyov “also apologized to the Prime Minister of Italy.” “Even if it was difficult, he apologized, I consider this a great achievement,” Bonya said.
“I consider it a small victory. <...> I believe that this should not end with war, but strangely enough, with peace,” he added.
