Kathrine Frich
A live broadcast on Russian state television took an unexpected turn when a guest openly questioned Moscow’s military strengths and its strategic alliances.
The remarks, aired on a flagship pro-Kremlin programme, quickly triggered backlash.
Not outnumbered
Kirill Fedorov appeared on the show hosted by Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most prominent figures in Russian state media.
According to dialog.ua, the discussion departed from the usual official narrative praising Russia’s military capabilities.
During the exchange, one participant stated:
“My personal opinion is that they (no, Ukraine ) are outnumbering us. We have problems with communications, historically our army has had problems with communications.”
Admitting weaknesses
The conversation moved into technical detail, with acknowledgements that Ukraine has strengthened its drone operations and battlefield communications.
“And there, unfortunately, they are very good,” Fedorov said, referring to Ukrainian capabilities.
He also commented on the performance of Ukrainian equipment:
“Look how the image is maintained on them. The image on their radio drones is practically maintained until close to the ground… They have better developed repeaters, they have much better resistance to electronic warfare. They have a base station on which fiber optics and FPV drones operate simultaneously.”
Satellite systems were also discussed. One participant noted: “Starlink has been widely used… The advantage of these communication systems is their long range and very low weight – they can be hidden anywhere.”
China remark sparks fallout
The discussion later shifted to potential technological partnerships. Fedorov then said:
“We need to associate with those countries with whom we will not end up in conflict regarding the use of the same satellites, for example. Obviously, not with close neighbors. I do not rule out a war with China.”
The comment appeared to contradict the Kremlin’s portrayal of China as a stable and strategic partner.
According to dialog.ua, Fedorov was subsequently removed from the programme. Ukrainian blogger Denis Kazansky shared clips of the exchange online, highlighting what he described as an unusual moment of candor on Russian state television.
There has been no official comment from Russian authorities regarding the incident.
Sources: dialog.ua, Ziare.com
