Dima Bilan (real name Viktor Belan) is a Russian pop singer and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2018). He was born on December 24, 1981, in Ust-Dzheguta, RSFSR.
Listening to this artist's tracks on official streaming platforms, social media, and other services indirectly contributes to financing the war — through taxes paid to the budget of the Russian Federation.
Illegally crossed the state border of Ukraine by visiting Russian-occupied Crimea. In April 2017, he was entered into the database of the "Myrotvorets" center for deliberate violation of border crossing regulations.
Since January 7, 2023, under sanctions by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) for anti-Ukrainian activities.
Dima Bilan's stance on the war in Ukraine
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Bilan professed his love for Russia (the aggressor state) on social media, while avoiding explicit verbal statements about the war.
On September 1, 2022, the artist released a music video dedicated to children who died in Donbas. The video was set to one of the most famous songs from Soviet children's films—"Krylatye kacheli" ("Winged Swings").
Support for the war
A turning point was the singer's participation in Nastya Ivleeva's infamous "almost naked party" in late 2023. To escape being "canceled" and pulled from New Year's television broadcasts, Bilan resorted to the textbook method of "rehabilitation" for Russian celebrities—traveling to occupied territories of Ukraine.
In his video repentance regarding Ivleeva's "naked party," Bilan also admitted that he had performed a concert on December 5, 2023, for families of participants in the "special military operation" (at 3:20 in the video) and pledged to continue performing for and helping them.
Visit to occupied Donbas
In January 2024, the artist visited occupied Donetsk and Horlivka. This trip had an unambiguous propaganda character:
- Meetings with Russian military: The singer met with Russian troops participating in combat operations against Ukraine.
- Humanitarian PR: Bilan visited a children's center, delivered supplies to local animal shelters, and demonstratively adopted a cat from Donetsk.
- Financial loyalty: The artist donated 3 million rubles to local institutions controlled by the Russian occupation administration.
Dima Bilan chose the path of supporting the war to safeguard his career and revenues inside Russia, permanently abandoning his previous persona of an "apolitical artist."
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