Andrew Osborne
MOSCOW, April 20 (Reuters) – A celebrity blogger whose sharp criticism of authorities is watched by tens of millions of Russians is fighting back after one of the most prominent political hosts on state television accused her of working for the West and called for her to be investigated.
Vladimir Solovyov, the cantankerous talk show host sanctioned by the West for his public support for the war in Ukraine, launched a vitriolic attack on Victoria Bonya on air over the weekend, not only hurling personal insults at her appearance but also accusing her of being part of a covert Western plot to undermine the Kremlin.
Bonya, who lives in Monaco and denies working for anyone but herself, called Solovyov an “enemy of the people” and should take his show off the air. She said he was one of several national television figures who spoke about women in unacceptable ways.
“I want to ask all us women a question – when did we miss the moment when women started being insulted on federal television channels?” said Bonya, a 46-year-old single mother, adding that she was tired of women like her being publicly dismissed as prostitutes or call girls.
“There are a lot of mothers raising their children alone. To insult me ​​is to insult them all,” Bonya said, noting that her page has received nearly 500 million views and that her social media reach is greater than Solovyov’s.
Bonya, widely known in Russia as a former reality star who has until now only made videos about her life and beauty tips, has more than 13 million followers on Instagram.
But she sparked a political firestorm with a video appeal to President Vladimir Putin, saying she supported him but that he was not being told the truth about Russia’s real problems and that ordinary people were being squeezed badly by corrupt officials and could one day explode.
The Kremlin took the unusual step of acknowledging Bonya’s criticism – her video clip has been viewed nearly 30 million times – while insisting that the problems she listed – including a sweeping crackdown on the internet – were being addressed. It denies that Putin is unaffected by bad news.
“Foreign agent”?
Solovyov asked on the air why Bonya had not yet been designated a “foreign agent” – a label that carries negative connotations of Soviet-era spies – and asked Russia’s top state investigator to examine whether her outburst broke any laws.
“This tired whore cannot open her dirty mouth and clog the information space,” Solovyov said.
Bonya fought back and vowed to use petitions and potential lawsuits to get Solovyov off the air.
In an effort to turn the tables, she also asked authorities to examine whether the sometimes extreme language he used in his broadcasts against various people and groups violated Russian law.
A hilarious new video, created with the help of artificial intelligence and viewed 10 million times in just 24 hours, shows Bonya in a Spider-Man costume firing a web into Solovyov’s face and taking on two other outspoken male public figures whom she has accused of misogyny.
On the streets of Moscow, passers-by who spoke to Reuters mostly expressed sympathy for Bonya.
Manager Nadezhda said she believes any Russian – even if they are outside Russia – has the right to speak about their country.
“I didn’t like it when they started insulting her,” she said. “For someone who has some kind of influence in society, it seems absolutely wrong.”
(Reporting by Andrew Osborne in Moscow, additional reporting by Nikka Kuzyeva in Moscow; Editing by Guy Falconbridge and Gareth Jones)
