Fact-Check: Did TV Host Vladimir Solovyov Call for Putin’s Resignation?

On September 24, ‘Nasha Niva’ published a news item stating that TV host Vladimir Solovyov had suggested the possibility of Vladimir Putin’s resignation to improve Russia’s defense capabilities and reduce corruption in the Russian Ministry of Defense. 

“It’s not enough to imprison those responsible. We need to appoint people who know how to act effectively in their places. I don’t care what color the cat is, as long as it catches mice. So let’s move on to concrete decisions, even if that requires the resignation of the Supreme Commander,” Solovyov was quoted as saying by ‘Nasha Niva.’

The media outlet shared the video with the comment: “Just look at how the jaws of Belarusian propagandist Gigins and other guests dropped.” The video is a fragment from the broadcast of ‘Sunday Evening with Solovyov,’ on September 22. By slowing down the video playback speed by half, it becomes clear that Solovyov says “Stavka” (headquarters), not “otstavka” (resignation).

The TV host was referencing the Stavka (Headquarters) of the Main Command of the Armed Forces of the USSR, established on June 23, 1941, just two days after the onset of World War II. This body served as an extraordinary supreme military command comprised of seven members. Initially, it was headed by the People’s Commissar of Defense Timoshenko, and later by Stalin.

Thus, Solovyov proposed creating an analogue of Stalin’s Stavka in Russia — Putin’s Stavka.