From Ukrainian to Russian is one step. Which showbiz stars switched to the state language after February 24, but then changed their minds

After the full-scale invasion, most Russian-speaking Ukrainians realized the importance of self-identification and consciously switched to their native language. Media personalities also set an example. Realizing that their publicity should be used to their advantage, Ukrainian stars first switched to the state language on social media, in interviews and various shows, and later, as most claim, in everyday life. However, while for some it was a necessity and a sincere desire to completely separate themselves from the enemy, for others it was a temporary action that quickly expired.

Thus, among the representatives of the domestic showbiz, one can find those who switched to Ukrainian after February 24, but eventually changed their minds for unknown reasons. Someone completely returned to Russian, and someone chose "bilingualism". We decided to tell about them.

Svitlana Loboda

The famous singer did not immediately, but soon after the invasion, start using Ukrainian in public space and even released a number of Ukrainian-language tracks. However, in December 2023, a song called "Metelytsia" was released that confused many listeners because of the Russian language. Later, the artist explained that she did not consider Russian to be the language of the enemy, saying that "it is not the language that kills Ukrainian children and people."

In a recent interview, she revealed: "It is not the Russian language that is killing Ukrainian children and Ukrainian people. The majority of Ukraine speaks Russian. The Russian language does not belong to the Russian authorities. If only the Russian government spoke Russian, we would not speak it at all. But millions of people around the world speak Russian. It just happened."

Ivan Dorn

For many of his fans, the musician has become a disappointment lately. Immediately after the full-scale invasion, he clearly outlined his pro-Ukrainian position, started giving charity concerts, released Ukrainian-language tracks, and even apologized for his old scandalous statements about "brotherly nations." However, Dorn later deflated, as they say.

Speaking directly about the language issue, in December 2023, it became known that Dorn was preparing to release an album called Dorndom. Interestingly, the tracks on this album are in Russian. The singer wrote them before the full-scale invasion and planned to release them in May 2022. Of course, then the artist canceled the release, assuring that he would not release Russian songs at all. However, it is clear that his conscious pro-Ukrainian position has expired. And recently, in Kazakhstan, the singer spoke in Russian about "good Russians".

Oleg Kenzov

This character was no less a disappointment for Ukrainian fans. Kenzov, by the way, is one of the "bilingual" Ukrainians. His social media posts are in both his native language and Russian. We are not in a hurry to say for sure, but let's assume that abroad, the fugitive singer does not feel the need to abandon the language of the terrorist country.

Kenzov also decided to release a Russian-language single called "I Kiss Your Cheeks" during the full-scale war, and at a corporate event in Bulgaria he had the audacity to promote Putinist Alexander Serov by singing his song "I Love You to Tears."

Meanwhile, host Slava Demin commented: "As an artist who positions himself as a Ukrainian artist, he continues to release songs in Russian. Recently, Oleg released a video for the song "I kiss your cheeks". In this video, Oleg sails so beautifully on a yacht, and on Instagram he is photographed against the backdrop of famous European sights. And earlier, Oleg sang a song about Valeriy Zaluzhny. But I have a question for Oleg: why are the new songs in Russian? What kind of audience is this for? If for Ukrainian, then you have to be a kamikaze artist to release a song in Russian. If it's for the Russian audience, then the title of "douchebag of the week" is confirmed."

Vera Brezhneva

The singer's position was a comfort to many of her Ukrainian fans. After February 24, Brezhneva began actively volunteering, spreading the truth about the war, and sometimes even addressing the audience in Ukrainian. A lot of Ukrainian-language tracks appeared in the star's arsenal. In October 2023, she even released her first fully Ukrainian-language album, which included 6 songs.

However, the singer still can't completely abandon Russian. She still posts on social media in this language, and sometimes switches to English. Why does the singer need Russian-language content? It is not clear.

Oleksandr Kryvoshapko

Probably one of the most incomprehensible "patriots" Ukraine can be considered Oleksandr Kryvoshapko. From the first days of the war, he was a volunteer who traveled to hot spots and helped evacuate people, as well as a fighter in the Anti-Terrorist Operation. The key word in this whole story is "was". Without clear explanation, the singer for some reason decided to get the status of a shameful fugitive, who is now sitting abroad and publishing Russian-language posts from there, forgetting all his attempts to switch to his native language.

Sometimes the musician still mentions that he is Ukrainian and writes lyrics in Ukrainian, adding emoticons of the blue and yellow flag. However, this happens extremely rarely, and we can even say that there has been only one such post in the artist's profile over the past year.