{"id":26992,"date":"2026-08-11T10:14:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T07:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/?p=26992"},"modified":"2026-08-11T10:20:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T07:20:29","slug":"polyakova-sovok-artysty-dopomoha-zsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/show-biz\/polyakova-sovok-artysty-dopomoha-zsu\/","title":{"rendered":"Polyakova saw Ukraine as a \u00abSoviet-style state\u00bb, whilst other artists are raising millions for the Ukrainian Armed Forces"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Kyiv, UkrMedia, 11 August \u2013 Ukrainian singer Olya Polyakova has once again found herself at the centre of a scandal. In an interview with Ramina Eskhakhzai, the artist claimed that Ukraine had allegedly ceased to be a free country, compared the social atmosphere to a \u00abconcentration camp\u00bb and said that Ukrainians were living in a \u00abSoviet-style society\u00bb. The reason for this emotional reaction was the criticism that followed Polyakova\u2019s appearance at the Laima Rendezvous J\u016brmala 2026 festival alongside Russian musician Sergei Grigoriev-Apollonov, known as Grey Wiese. In the video, the artists were walking down a corridor, holding hands, whilst Polyakova herself referred to him as a \u00abgood Russian\u00bb.<\/p>\n<div class=\"news-summary-box\">\n<p><strong>Briefly about the main points<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Olya Polyakova described Ukraine as an unfree country and compared the social climate to the \u00abSoviet era\u00bb.<\/li>\n<li>The statement came following criticism over a joint video with a Russian artist at the festival in J\u016brmala.<\/li>\n<li>Iryna Fedyshyn reported that 450 vehicles, as well as drones and ammunition, had been handed over to the military.<\/li>\n<li>The publicly confirmed takings from \u00abKurgan &amp; Agregat\u00bb across several tours and concerts exceed 54 million hryvnias.<\/li>\n<li>Olya Polyakova also took part in charity fundraisers, but supporting the armed forces does not shield a public figure from criticism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What exactly did Olya Polyakova say?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In the report published on 10 August <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NDHIk42IJTg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">An interview with Ramini Eskhakhzai<\/a> Polyakova claimed that Ukrainian public figures are apparently constantly afraid of saying or doing something wrong.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u00abIt\u2019s as if we\u2019re all in a concentration camp,\u00bb said the artist, commenting on the wave of criticism. She went on to add that Ukrainians were, as it were, living in a \u00abSoviet-style society\u00bb, where society decides with whom artists are allowed to be photographed, socialise or perform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Polyakova also defended Alla Pugacheva and Maxim Galkin, who left Russia after the outbreak of the full-scale war. In her view, Ukrainians should not alienate Russians who oppose Vladimir Putin\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">However, the main issue is not about a particular artist\u2019s passport. It is the cultural context that has outraged Ukrainians: whilst the war is raging, a representative of the Ukrainian entertainment industry is willingly creating joint content with a Russian, yet blames Ukrainian society itself for the negative reaction.<\/p>\n<h2>Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Labelling public reaction as \u00abSoviet-style\u00bb is a convenient way of avoiding a discussion about one\u2019s own choices. However, criticism from the audience is not state censorship, a ban on a profession or criminal prosecution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Polyakova has the right to communicate with whomever she sees fit, to record any videos and to express her opinion. Ukrainians have the same right \u2014 not to support the artist, not to buy tickets, not to listen to her music and to publicly judge her actions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Freedom of speech works both ways. A large audience brings popularity, influence and high fees, but with them comes increased scrutiny of one\u2019s public conduct. This is particularly true during wartime, when Russian culture has been used for decades as a tool to influence Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Society is not obliged to remain silent simply because an artist has earned their own money. The source of their earnings does not absolve them of their responsibility towards the audience, thanks to whom that money was earned in the first place.<\/p>\n<h2>Iryna Fedyshyn turned her concerts into events attracting 450 cars<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Against this backdrop, the example set by Iryna Fedyshyn stands out in particular. In March 2026, the singer revealed that, together with her team and her fans, she had already donated 450 vehicles to the Ukrainian armed forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The last 50 vehicles alone, purchased following the \u00abUkraine Sings Christmas Carols\u00bb tour, cost around 13 million hryvnias. The vehicles are sourced abroad, transported to Ukraine, repaired, repainted and prepared for service on the front line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">According to Fedyshyn, her volunteer work began with the purchase of footwear, equipment, walkie-talkies and drones. The first vehicle was purchased using funds raised from the sale of the song \u00abRozstrilyana Vesna (Bucha)\u00bb, after which the singer began channelling money raised during her charity tours to support the military.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">\u00abEverything we managed to collect, we gave to the Ukrainian Armed Forces,\u00bb said Fedyshyn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">This is also <a href=\"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/category\/show-biz\/\">show business<\/a>. However, popularity here serves not only to maintain an artist\u2019s profile, but also to meet the specific needs of the various departments.<\/p>\n<h2>\u00abKurgan &amp; Agregat\u00bb: over 54 million hryvnias in major tournaments<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Another example is the band \u00abKurgan &amp; Agregat\u00bb. The musicians systematically donate the proceeds from their concerts to support the Defence Forces and hold auctions for their audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The following results, at the very least, are in the public domain:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>over 14 million hryvnias during the 2024 European tour;<\/li>\n<li>19.47 million hryvnias during the tour of Ukraine in 2025;<\/li>\n<li>17.59 million hryvnias during the European tour in 2026;<\/li>\n<li>almost 3.6 million hryvnias during a single concert in Kyiv in June 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In total, these four publicly confirmed fundraising events alone raised over 54 million hryvnias. Part of the money came from auctions and audience members, but tens of millions were also generated from ticket sales, the proceeds of which the team donated to the armed forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">During their concert in Kyiv in June, the band raised 3.6 million hryvnias, of which 1.65 million came from ticket sales \u2014 the band\u2019s own contribution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">One of the band\u2019s founders, Yevhen Volodchenko, is serving in the Ukrainian Defence Forces. Amil and Ramil Nasirov continue to organise charity concerts and provide support for the troops.<\/p>\n<h2>Polyakova helped out too \u2014 and that\u2019s worth mentioning<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">It would be untrue to say that Olya Polyakova did not help Ukraine at all. The artist took part in charity concerts, fundraising events for drones and for prosthetics for the wounded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">In 2023, she reported raising 500,000 hryvnias, which were used to purchase two drones for the military. That same year, as an ambassador for the \u00abNezlamni\u00bb centre, Polyakova helped raise 2.5 million hryvnias for bionic prostheses, a significant portion of which was donated by \u00abAzovstal\u00bb defender Mykhailo Dianov. The artist has also performed at charity events abroad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The discussion should therefore not descend into a simplistic dichotomy in which one person is portrayed as having never helped anyone, whilst others are depicted as flawless. Polyakova\u2019s contributions must be taken into account.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">But donations do not grant a free pass for any words or actions. Supporting the armed forces does not deprive the audience of the right to question an artist\u2019s cultural values.<\/p>\n<h2>There really are all sorts of artists in Ukraine<\/h2>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">There are artists who view public attention as pressure and insist on their right not to explain their own decisions. And then there are those who use that very attention, the stage, concerts and their audience to provide systematic support to the armed forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Iryna Fedyshyn could tell you just how difficult it is to organise a tour during a war. Instead, her efforts resulted in hundreds of cars. \u00abKurgan &amp; Agregat\u00bb could have kept all the profits for themselves, as they had earned them. Instead, tens of millions of hryvnias were channelled into support for the Defence Forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">There is no point in making fun of Polyakova\u2019s appearance or trying to outdo her in rudeness \u2014 this only undermines legitimate criticism. A simple comparison of her public statements with her actual achievements is far more effective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Perhaps Russia really is a more comfortable environment for a model of show business in which the performer is entitled to the stage, the money and the applause, whilst society is expected to offer nothing but silent admiration. Ukraine has chosen a different path: here, the performer\u2019s freedom does not preclude the audience\u2019s freedom to respond.<\/p>\n<p>If social responsibility seems like a \u00abSoviet-era concept\u00bb, the problem may not lie with Ukraine. Perhaps the problem lies in our familiarity with a world where popularity is seen as a privilege without any obligations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"editorial-note\">\n<p><strong>Editor\u2019s note.<\/strong> This article is an opinion piece and contains the editorial team\u2019s evaluative judgements regarding the public statements and actions of the individuals mentioned. The assessments, conclusions, comparisons, hyperbole and critical remarks reflect the editorial team\u2019s subjective position. Factual information is based on open sources, references to which are included in the article. The editorial team is prepared to grant the individuals mentioned the right of reply and to publish their position.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u041a\u0438\u0457\u0432, UkrMedia, 11 \u0441\u0435\u0440\u043f\u043d\u044f \u2013 \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0430 \u0441\u043f\u0456\u0432\u0430\u0447\u043a\u0430 \u041e\u043b\u044f \u041f\u043e\u043b\u044f\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u0437\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0443 \u043e\u043f\u0438\u043d\u0438\u043b\u0430\u0441\u044f \u0432 \u0446\u0435\u043d\u0442\u0440\u0456 \u0441\u043a\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0430\u043b\u0443. \u0412 \u0456\u043d\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0432\u2019\u044e \u0420\u0430\u043c\u0456\u043d\u0456 \u0415\u0441\u0445\u0430\u043a\u0437\u0430\u0439 \u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043a\u0430 \u0437\u0430\u044f\u0432\u0438\u043b\u0430, \u0449\u043e \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u0430 \u043d\u0456\u0431\u0438\u0442\u043e \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0430\u043b\u0430 \u0431\u0443\u0442\u0438 \u0432\u0456\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u044e \u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u043e\u044e, \u043f\u043e\u0440\u0456\u0432\u043d\u044f\u043b\u0430 \u0441\u0443\u0441\u043f\u0456\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0443 \u0430\u0442\u043c\u043e\u0441\u0444\u0435\u0440\u0443 \u0437 \u00ab\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0446\u0442\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0440\u043e\u043c\u00bb \u0456 \u0441\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0430\u043b\u0430, \u0449\u043e \u0443\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u0446\u0456 \u0436\u0438\u0432\u0443\u0442\u044c \u0443 \u00ab\u0441\u043e\u0432\u043a\u0443\u00bb. \u041f\u0440\u0438\u0447\u0438\u043d\u043e\u044e \u0435\u043c\u043e\u0446\u0456\u0439\u043d\u043e\u0457 \u0440\u0435\u0430\u043a\u0446\u0456\u0457 \u0441\u0442\u0430\u043b\u0430 \u043a\u0440\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043a\u0430 \u043f\u0456\u0441\u043b\u044f \u043f\u043e\u044f\u0432\u0438 \u041f\u043e\u043b\u044f\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0457 \u043d\u0430 \u0444\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0438\u0432\u0430\u043b\u0456 Laima Rendezvous J\u016brmala 2026 \u0440\u0430\u0437\u043e\u043c \u0456\u0437 [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207433404,"featured_media":26994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_description":"\u041e\u043b\u044f \u041f\u043e\u043b\u044f\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u043d\u0430\u0437\u0432\u0430\u043b\u0430 \u0436\u0438\u0442\u0442\u044f \u0432 \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u0456 \u00ab\u0441\u043e\u0432\u043a\u043e\u043c\u00bb. \u0427\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u0457\u0457 \u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u043e\u0431\u0443\u0440\u0438\u043b\u0438 \u0441\u0443\u0441\u043f\u0456\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e \u0442\u0430 \u044f\u043a \u043d\u0430 \u0446\u044c\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u0442\u043b\u0456 \u0432\u0438\u0433\u043b\u044f\u0434\u0430\u0454 \u0434\u043e\u043f\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0433\u0430 \u0456\u043d\u0448\u0438\u0445 \u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0456\u0432 \u0417\u0421\u0423.","rank_math_title":"\u041f\u043e\u043b\u044f\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u043f\u0440\u043e \u00ab\u0441\u043e\u0432\u043e\u043a\u00bb: \u0447\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u0443\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u0446\u0456 \u043e\u0431\u0443\u0440\u0438\u043b\u0438\u0441\u044f","rank_math_focus_keyword":"\u041f\u043e\u043b\u044f\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0430","td_subtitle":"","subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[806797],"tags":[806796],"class_list":["post-26992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-show-biz","tag-806796"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207433404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26992"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26993,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26992\/revisions\/26993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukrmedia.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}