Tina Karol, Kamaliia and others: Ukrainian stars who were born in Russia but renounced it

Few people know that the famous Ukrainian singer Tina Karol was born in the village of Orotukan in the Magadan region, while her colleague Kamaliia was born in Transbaikalia. Both moved to Ukraine when they were little girls, so they never associated themselves with Russia. Moreover, after 2014, and then after February 24, 2022, they became examples of patriotism for millions of Ukrainians.

However, not only Karol and Kamaliia were born in Russia, but they later renounced the terrorist country. OBOZ.UA will tell you about these and other such Ukrainian stars in this article.

Tina Karol

So, as we have already noted, Tina, and at that time Tetiana Lieberman, was born in the Magadan region of the Russian Federation in a family of engineers. However, she is ethnically fully Ukrainian: her mother and father are from Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi regions, respectively. Little Tetiana lived in Russia until she was six years old, after which she and her parents returned to her mother's small homeland. In Ivano-Frankivsk, Liberman attended both a regular school and a music school. She continued her education at the Glier Kyiv State Pedagogical University at the Faculty of Singing, majoring in pop vocals. She also completed a part-time degree in management and logistics at the National Aviation University in Kyiv.

Karol has been working in Ukraine all her life, and after 2014, unlike many of her colleagues, she completely refused to perform in Russia. Currently, the singer is actively helping the Ukrainian Armed Forces, giving charity concerts, performing at the front line, popularizing the Ukrainian language through her music, and telling the world the truth about the crimes of the Russian occupiers in her native country.

Kamalia

Kamaliia, aka Nataliia Zakhur, aka Nataliia Shmarenkova, was born in 1977 in Trans-Baikal, in the Chita region. The singer's father is a military officer, so the family moved around a lot. When Nataliia was three years old, she and her parents moved to Budapest, where she began singing and dancing. Later, the family moved to Lviv. They have remained in Ukraine ever since.

Kamaliia never mentions her Russian past. However, there's nothing to recall - it's unlikely that a three-year-old child could remember anything from that period. The main thing is that now the artist supports Ukraine in every way possible, regularly performs for the defenders at the front, and gives charity concerts. In addition, the star even voiced her intention to join the Armed Forces. Due to her health condition, she postponed this idea but noted that she has an understanding of this business thanks to her military father, so she would take up arms if necessary.

Mykyta Dobrynin

The Ukrainian TV host and blogger was born and lived in the village of Provideniia in Chukotka until the age of four. Eventually, the family returned to his native Chernivtsi, where Dobrynin grew up. He did work in Russia for a while, hosting one of the seasons of the Russian version of The Bachelor. However, then Nikita got sick with COVID-19, so he stopped filming after the first episode.

Nevertheless, after the full-scale invasion, the showman took a very conscious pro-Ukrainian position. He abandoned the Russian language and even joined the ranks of the terrorist defense.

Zlata Ognjevic

Inna Bordiug (the singer's real name) was born in Murmansk, Russia. Her father was a military surgeon, and her mother worked as a Russian language teacher. Because of her father's profession, as in the case of Kamaliia, the family had to move around a lot, so little Inna managed to live in Leningrad and Minsk. However, at the age of five, the future artist found herself in Sudak, Crimea. Since then, Ognievich has positioned herself exclusively as a Ukrainian. She even became an Honored Artist of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, although the pro-Russian "authorities" of the annexed peninsula eventually stripped her of this title.

It's important to add that the singer's father repeatedly visited the front as a combat medic after the full-scale invasion. The star is always proud to talk about her hero and his hard work.

Oleksii Sukhanov

The case of Oleksii Sukhanov is, without exaggeration, unique. He was not just born in Russia, he was a citizen of that country, lived and worked there until 2012, and started his career at the regional radio in his hometown of Ivanovo and on TV channels in Moscow. In 2014, the host decided to move to Ukraine for good. His family remained in the aggressor country. After February 24, 2022, Oleksii completely stopped communicating with his relatives, who had become victims of Russian propaganda. By the way, it was a few days before the full-scale invasion that Sukhanov became a citizen of Ukraine, having received a Ukrainian passport.

Currently, the TV host speaks exclusively Ukrainian and does not understand his fellow citizens who say that it is difficult for them to "switch". In one of his posts on social media, Sukhanov noted that he was "proud to live in the same country with courageous and independent people."