REPORTING. These Ukrainian music stars who crossed over to the enemy after the Russian invasion

Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, several Ukrainian stars have chosen to settle in Moscow. By conviction or by interest, in order to pursue their career in Russia.

These Ukrainian artists have chosen the enemy’s camp. After the invasion of Ukraine, certain singers, certain TV star singers, chose to settle in Moscow and continue their activity in Russia.

This is the case of an extremely well-known singer in Ukraine, Ani Lorak. She has long been one of the country’s most popular voices, decorated by the government, representing her country at the UN and for a time the highest paid singer in Ukraine.

In 2008, Ani Lorak represented Ukraine at Eurovision with this song, Shady Lady. For the record, she finished second, behind Dima Bilan, the Russian candidate. Ani Lorak is famous in Ukraine, but also in Russia, and when relations between the two countries began to seriously strain, in 2014, with the annexation of Crimea, she continued to sing on both sides of the border, which earned him criticism in Ukraine. And then in 2022, when Ukraine invaded, she chose to stay in Moscow.

Result: the break was complete. She is placed under sanctions by the Ukrainian government and is regularly ridiculed in her country of origin. In a video published in 2023, a well-known radio host in Ukraine, Anatoliy Anatolitch, addresses her using her real first name, Karolina. “You will never return to Ukraine, you are not welcome here, Karolina, he explains. You will never walk around your hometown of Chernivtsi, because all the locals will want to spit in your face.”

“You will never understand what it means to win a war, only Ukrainians will.”

Anatoliy Anatolitch, radio presenter

in a video published in 2023

This is what they say in Ukraine, but Ani Lorak is not always very well received in Russia. She is regularly the target of the regime’s ultras, notably Ekaterina Mizoulina, a well-known activist in Russia, ultraconservative, guardian of traditional values. Ekaterina Mizulina cannot stand the fact that Ani Lorak never clearly supported Russia.

Worse, she remembers that the singer had published at the start of the war a message calling for peace on her social networks, a message quickly deleted but which did not escape the eye of this woman who is the regime’s great informer . “Regarding Lorak, it’s simple. If it weren’t for these messages against the war, there would be no question. We have thousands of talented musicians. Let’s support them, instead of applauding traitors, mediocre people who are loved neither here nor there.” Criticized on both sides of the border, never speaking about politics, and even less about the war, Ani Lorak still chose Moscow by taking Russian nationality this year.

Other Ukrainian artists have chosen Russia. And some, unlike Ani Lorak, have clearly chosen their side, like singer and producer Yuri Bardash. He hurriedly left Ukraine at the time of the invasion and very quickly recorded a song called Position. He accuses Volodymir Zelensky of having started the war. He has since been charged in Ukraine and faces ten years in prison, so there is little chance he will return there.

Just like another singing star, Taïssia Povaliy, also very well known in Ukraine, she was even a member of parliament. We knew that she was clearly pro-Russian, but she still lived in kyiv. She moved to Moscow in February 2022, at the time of the invasion, and also risks prison if she returns to Ukraine, but she takes full responsibility on Russian television: “It doesn’t matter what accusations and threats they make against me. I have shown in my words, in my actions that I am with Russia, that I support the special operation. Because the latter is salvation for me and for people like me.”

Taïssia Povaliy even sang in the Kremlin, she too took Russian nationality like most of these Ukrainian exiles who chose the enemy’s camp. By conviction or by interest in being able to pursue their career.