KEY POINTS

  • Solovyov accused Claudia Roth of insulting Russia while talking about a stamp
  • The stamp referenced a Ukrainian border guard who cursed at the Russian warship Moskva
  • Solovyov previously threatened a massive nuclear strike against countries that help Ukraine

Vladimir Solovyov, a top propagandist and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has suggested that the Kremlin should invade Germany after one of its officials made an off-color comment during a meeting with a Ukrainian official.

Germany’s Culture Minister Claudia Roth met with her Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksandr Tkachenko, on Tuesday at the port city of Odessa in Ukraine. Tkachenko handed her two stamps, one of which depicted the Russian warship Moskva, which Ukraine sank with missiles, and another that showed a soldier raising his middle finger.

The stamp was a reference to a Ukrainian border guard who told the Russian troops aboard the Moskva to "go f**k yourself" when they called for them to surrender.

"This is Russia, and this is 'f**k you.'" Roth said, displaying the stamps to a photographer. "F**k you, Russian ship."

Solovyov replayed the clip capturing the incident on Russian state TV and later accused Roth of deliberately insulting Russia while pretending that what she said was written on the stamp.

"[That] is the German culture minister. And you think that after that government recruited those idiots, scum, louts and scoundrels, we should talk to them about anything?" Solodyov told his guests. "What are we supposed to do now? Once again shake the dust off Teutonic graves with the thundering march of Soviet boots? They will never get the message otherwise."

Solovyov has made numerous inflammatory remarks and references to World War I over the past weeks. Earlier this week, he warned that there would be a "massive nuclear strike" that only "mutants" could survive if the West and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continued to help Ukraine amid the war.

Since Russia announced its "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24, individual NATO countries have sent military equipment and weaponry to Kyiv, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons. The U.S. and Germany last week pledged to send Ukraine advanced weapons that could shoot down aircraft and artillery. The U.S., in particular, will send four medium-range rocket systems and ammunition, according to the Associated Press.

However, the alliance as a whole has yet to send troops or weapons to Ukraine.

Russia says one crew member died and 27 were missing after the Moskva missile cruiser (pictured in 2015) sank last week, in its first admission of losses on the ship
Russia says one crew member died and 27 were missing after the Moskva missile cruiser (pictured in 2015) sank last week, in its first admission of losses on the ship AFP / Max DELANY