A Russian priest who lives in Italy has whipped up a frenzy over a pro-Kremlin pundit’s citizenship status.
Almost 195,000 people have signed Father Sergius’ online petition urging Italy to deny citizenship to political talk show host Vladimir Solovyov, even though Solovyov has not applied for citizenship and has had an Italian residence permit for over a decade.
Activists have long accused Solovyov, 56, of double standards, charging that he extolls the Kremlin’s virtues while spending three months a year in an Italian villa overlooking Lake Como.
“Please, create a ‘Magnitsky List’ with Vladimir Solovyov’s name and ban him from entering the countries of the European Union and the United States,” says the change.org petition, published two weeks ago.
Father Sergius said he launched the campaign after seeing a clip of Solovyov’s derogatory impersonation of a member of the Tatar ethnic minority during his radio show earlier in October.
“Conscientious people understand how destructive the activities of this chief Russian propagandist are,” Sergius said in an interview with the U.S.-funded RFE/RL’s Russian-language desk Monday.
Solovyov has called the migrant priest behind the online petition “mentally ill” and an “idiot.”
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.