Russian state TV media has accused European countries of wanting the country to suffer a "strategic defeat".

09:28, Mon, May 11, 2026 Updated: 09:29, Mon, May 11, 2026

Russia leader Vladmir Putin

Russia has claimed it is effectively at war with the wider West (Image: AP)

Russian state TV propagandist Vladimir Solovyov claimed a senior Russian commander told him there is now “no border between Ukraine and Western Europe” as he raged about alleged attempts to disrupt Russia’s Victory Day celebrations with attacks inside the country. Speaking on Russian state TV programme Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, the Kremlin ally said the unnamed military figure warned that Russia was effectively fighting the whole of Europe, including the UK, rather than just Ukraine.

Solovyov quoted the commander as saying: “We should have realised a long time ago that there is no border between Ukraine and Western Europe when we are talking about war. They’re all fighting against us, we should understand it.” The TV host said the officer was “a Colonel General, a Hero of Russia”, but did not identify him by name. The remarks came as Solovyov discussed drone strikes and security fears surrounding Russia’s May 9 Victory Day commemorations, one of the Kremlin’s most symbolically important annual events. During the broadcast, Solovyov claimed Ukraine was acting under orders from the West and accused European countries of wanting Russia to suffer a “strategic defeat”,

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He continued “...when the Finns say together with the Germans that Russia poses a direct threat to them, they need for Russia to experience a strategic defeat, why?”

He added: “Zelensky does not decide anything on his own, the West has to understand we see right through them.”

Solovyov also suggested foreign powers were behind strikes inside Russia during the Victory Day period, claiming: “...it’s clear that in Armenia, he received the go ahead for the strikes, deep within our territory on May 9th.”

The presenter also alleged NATO countries were helping Ukraine target Russian territory, saying: “Weapons flying at us are certainly not Ukrainian.”

At one point, Solovyov appeared to suggest that European countries harboured territorial ambitions against Russia.

He claimed: “The Germans want to take Kaliningrad and the Finns want to take away some land.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the military parade commemorating the 81st anniversary, Rus

Putin attends the military parade commemorating the 81st anniversary of Victory Day on May 9 (Image: Russian Foreign Ministry's official/APAImages/Shutterstock)

The Kremlin propagandist also attacked Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in highly inflammatory terms after accusing Kyiv of celebrating attacks inside Russia.

Referring to Zelensky, Solovyov raged: “That Nazi scum, who is gladly posting a video that was obtained from our social media of the way one of our objects was burning.”

Elsewhere in the programme, the state TV host attempted to frame the conflict as an existential war for Russia, warning viewers that the fighting was no longer limited to the battlefield.

He said: “They can’t defeat us on our frontlines which is why they’re moving the war deeper in.”

The comments come amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West as the war in Ukraine continues, with Moscow increasingly portraying the conflict as a direct confrontation with NATO rather than solely with Kyiv.