Victoria Bonya is a Russian television presenter, model, and influencer, a former participant in the reality show Dom-2 on the TNT channel. Born on November 27, 1979, in Krasnokamensk, Chita Oblast, RSFSR. Resides in Monaco, but earns her living in Russia.
Victoria Bonya's stance on the war in Ukraine
On the day of the full-scale invasion, Victoria Bonya published a post with "no to war," but with a very different underlying message. In reality, this post dilutes Russia's responsibility, placing its aggression on the same plane as past conflicts, thereby minimizing its guilt:
No to war LPR. No to war DPR. No to war Horlivka 2014. No to war Tskhinvali 2008. No to war Debaltseve 2014. No to war Odesa 2014. No to war Syria 2014. No to war Libya 2011. No to war Iraq 2003. No to war Belgrade 1999.
Anti-war rhetoric
In the beginning of the full-scale war, Bonya made anti-Putin statements tailored to her Western audience:
What the president of Russia is doing, whom I will never vote for again... «Russia is not Putin. Putin is not Russia. No to War.
My roots go back to Ukraine. When I come to Ukraine I feel right at home there. I spent three years thinking about Ukrainian citizenship. I deliberately avoided traveling to Crimea, knowing that if I went to Crimea I would never be allowed into Ukraine.
Sanctions as "genocide"
She called the 2022 boycott measures imposed on Russia and Belarus "genocide," recording a video on Russophobia. From an interview with the publication Super in March 2022:
I understand this is terrible pain, but so much hate is currently being poured out onto the peaceful Russian people around the world. In my view, this smells like genocide. It is terrifying that more than one generation will carry this hatred in their hearts toward peaceful people who pray for all those trapped in these circumstances.
Bonya also declared that Ukrainians alienated even those Russians who supported them (editor's note: wonder why?):
I see that Russians were supporting [Ukrainians] heavily in the first days, but now Russians have started supporting each other. You are simply alienating people who wanted to offer support in whatever way, wherever they could... In doing so, you are uniting Russians who say: «We are united, and do not blame us for all the sins that are happening.
Gestures of "patriotic protest"
In April 2022, Bonya participated in a public stunt against the fashion house Chanel after it exited the Russian market: she publicly cut up a Chanel bag, accusing the brand of "Russophobia."
PR off the war
In May 2022, Bonya decided to attract media attention on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival before paparazzi, sporting a fake glued-on mustache and carrying a handbag inscribed "There would be no wars if men gave birth." For this stunt, she was ejected from the festival.
Scandal over supporting Usyk
In December 2024, Victoria Bonya congratulated Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk on his victory over Tyson Fury, calling the fight "worthy" and "commanding respect." This provoked outrage in Russia: she was accused of supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with public figures demanding an investigation into alleged "financing of the Ukrainian military."
Following the backlash, Bonya deleted her posts and recorded a video statement emphasizing:
- that she loves sports and frequently flies out to attend major bouts;
- that although she has lived in Europe for 12 years, she consistently unfurls the Russian flag even on mountain expeditions;
- that she holds only Russian citizenship, supports Russia and its president, and insists that sports are "outside politics."
Your pathetic attempts to turn me into a traitor of the Motherland are simply out of place. I have only one passport—and that is the passport of Russia! Here is an official statement: I support Russia.
Bonya and politics
Victoria Bonya runs a Telegram channel where she periodically posts political news, commentary, and takes firmly rooted in typical Kremlin propaganda conventions.
Criticism of blackouts and calls to riot in 2026
In March 2026, Victoria Bonya's rhetoric once again shifted sharply against the backdrop of domestic troubles in Russia. The influencer openly lashed out at government authorities, commenting on mass livestock slaughter in Novosibirsk Oblast and other regions due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, as well as total internet blackouts across the country.
In her Instagram video appeal, Bonya slammed the policy of "tightening screws" and called on Russians to actively protest:
This is an absolute nightmare, into what wilderness they are leading us. They shut down Instagram, Telegram, YouTube, took away everything, cut off the internet everywhere, why not take away livestock too and turn off fucking water and electricity, and sit there dying, perishing. I understand there are security measures, but this is already an overkill and overstepping, it seems to me. Everyone, society must rise up and speak out against this unacceptable situation. What the fuck is this?
One day she chants "no to war," the next she complains of "Russophobia," the day after that she swears allegiance to the president, and when daily conveniences vanish (such as internet access)—she calls for public revolt. Such volatility proves that for Victoria Bonya, any high-profile topic is merely an opportunistic vehicle for attention and engagement, wholly detached from consistent principles.
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