Danila Poperechny on the war

Danila Poperechny's position on the war in Ukraine

In February 2022, following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Danila Poperechny openly came out against the war. On February 24, he released a video message featuring the hashtag #nowar:

Video: Danila Poperechny - no war

...Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, we are against war. We are against military hostilities in any form. I do not believe that in the modern world, whatever political situation arises, these methods are the only ones by which this situation can be resolved. Please, no war.

Leaving for Dubai in March 2022, the comedian published a detailed anti-war analytical video. Following demands from Roskomnadzor and threats of criminal prosecution, Poperechny cut the audio and video out of the March clip, leaving 18 minutes of a silent empty chair on the channel so that he would retain the ability to return to the Russian Federation. The artist finally left Russia in the autumn of 2022 following the announcement of mobilization, flying to the United States.

Aid to Ukrainian refugees and refusal to support the AFU

Poperechny adopted a strictly pacifist, humanitarian stance. During his overseas stand-up tour, he staged several entirely charitable concerts, raising and donating over 12 million rubles to assist Ukrainian refugees in Europe through Polish charitable foundations. At the same time, the comedian emphasized that on principle he does not finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

I am not ready to donate my money to war. I categorically do not raise funds for the needs of the AFU… This is my stance, I do not want in any way to be involved in people dying. I don't give a fuck at all — whether he is a Z-supporter or not, whether he loves Russia, whether he loves Ukraine...

Sympathy for Russian conscripts

Poperechny's stance has drawn sharp criticism from Ukrainians because of his "sympathy for mobilized Russian soldiers," whom he regards as hostages of the state system:

I feel sorry, fuck, for these dudes who were drafted, who are simply thrown like cannon fodder because they are told otherwise it's prison. Not again... just human sympathy that you get killed for some useless fucking bullshit you have nothing to do with, that you lacked the courage to refuse.

Such comments are perceived by many as an attempt to dilute the individual responsibility of soldiers for complicity in armed aggression.

Scandal surrounding the joke about Izyum

In 2023, Poperechny found himself at the center of a major scandal after his paid stand-up special included a bit mocking the unusual names of de-occupied Ukrainian towns. The comedian mentioned Izyum, where mass graves of civilians had been uncovered shortly beforehand:

When I read news that says fierce battles for Izyum have been going on for three days… well, I'm human too, I can't empathize with that. It's just total nonsense, like ants fighting while people are dying there. So I'm like: Ha! They found an old raisin

Video: Why Ukrainians dislike Poperechny despite his anti-Putin stance

The joke sparked an intense wave of outrage and accusations of cynicism. Poperechny later apologized, stating that he was not mocking human tragedy, but was joking exclusively about cognitive dissonance stemming from names in military reports; however, he acknowledged that "the wound was far too fresh."

Interview with the "Vpiska" project (2026): shift in rhetoric and response to criticism

In an interview in 2026, Poperechny's rhetoric became noticeably more cautious. The comedian began carefully avoiding the word "war," trying to maintain a delicate balance in order to retain his Russian audience. In this interview, several controversial compromises became apparent:

• Rejection of political exile status: Poperechny categorically disavowed the label of "anti-war emigrant," declaring: "I didn't leave under the sauce of 'I cannot stay in a country that started the SMO.' It simply became uncomfortable for me to be in Russia for work and physical reasons." As primary reasons, he cited the blocking of YouTube and Instagram, which deprived him of his business, as well as fear of imprisonment over "careless talk from the past."
• Idealization of Russia and criticism of the West: For the majority of the episode, Danila criticized daily life in the US (electricity bills, homelessness, crime) and openly praised Russian urban infrastructure, stating that Moscow "beats everyone hands down" in terms of public safety, parks, restaurants, banking sector, and service quality.
• Strict compliance with the Russian Ministry of Justice: Poperechny emphasized that he is an exemplary "foreign agent": "Officially, they have no claims against me. I am a law-abiding foreign agent, I submit all reporting on time, I don't bullshit, and I attach the disclaimers."
• Dreaming of returning: The comedian admitted that his master plan had always been to build his career in Russia and that he dreams of returning: "It would, of course, be awesome if I got an understanding that I could return safely. I don't even need them to remove the status... I just want a guarantee that they won't fuck with me."

Following a fierce wave of public criticism, Danila Poperechny recorded a video in which he responded to the talking points from the "Vpiska" interview:

• the use of the term "SMO" instead of the word "war" was done out of concern for the personal safety of the host of the "Vpiska" channel, Vasily Trunov, who holds a Russian passport and lives in the Russian Federation;
• he had already stated his anti-war position dozens of times, and compared the demand to constantly reaffirm it to having to accept a "software license agreement" over and over;
• he continues to love Russia as his homeland, and cited the inability to work freely, industry blacklists, and threats to his personal safety as the reasons for his emigration.