Evgeny Nikishin is a Russian actor, television presenter, and member of the "Uyezdny Gorod" KVN team who frequently performed in the Ukrainian comedy show "Diesel Show" on ICTV. Born on May 4, 1977, in Magnitogorsk, Russian SFSR.
In December 2019, he was entered into the database of the Myrotvorets website for illegally visiting occupied Crimea and participating in Russian anti-Ukrainian propaganda events.
Evgeny Nikishin's Stance on the War in Ukraine
During the full-scale Russian invasion, Nikishin found himself in Kyiv. Together with Sergey Pisarenko, they recorded an anti-war video address in which they clearly stated that what was happening was a war, not an operation. They described the deaths of civilians and destruction in Ukraine:
We see how everything is really happening. You cannot call this an operation — it is a war. A real war. Missiles flew over our heads, shells exploded. They bombed the maternity hospital where my daughter was supposed to be born. And hoping and holding on to the illusion that bombs are targeting military facilities is the biggest mistake. Civilians and completely innocent children are dying. They are also sending young boys to war who are completely unprepared to fight. They are 18 years old. Therefore, stop this war. Everyone who can. Otherwise, there will be neither Russia nor Ukraine left. Stop it immediately!
In September 2022, he returned to Russia.
Flip-Flop. Return to Russia
Money turned out to be more important to the actor than his conscience. In September 2022, it became known that Evgeny Nikishin was touring alongside pro-Putin artists Anton Lirnik, Olga Buzova, and Sergey Pisarenko on a cruise liner for Russian tourists sailing from Sochi to Turkey.
As if nothing had happened, Evgeny fully immersed himself in vibrant entertainment activities in Russia:
Sergey Pisarenko and I continue both concert and corporate performances as part of the 'Uyezdny Gorod' team, taking part in the play 'Muzhchina Naraskhvat' ('A Man in High Demand') alongside the incomparable Olga Igorevna Buzova. And now we have staged a new play titled 'Sestra Talanta' ('Sister of Talent'). It is an experimental play with incredible video staging: three massive screens, the character is broadcast in parallel, everything looks just like film shooting. We perform alongside young actors, it's very exciting.
Later, Pisarenko claimed that he and Nikishin were detained at the border and forced on camera to spit at Russia:
Zhenya was standing there in a semi-conscious state. It is a great misfortune that such a video appeared in the first place, but we needed to get into Russia, and that was the only way. We are Russians and we love our Motherland! I live in Moscow, I am not planning to move anywhere, don't believe any rumors that I allegedly emigrated to Estonia.
On February 28, 2025, Nikishin and Pisarenko recorded a video message to the fighters of the "Yuzhnouralets" battalion:
Dear guys, allow us to offer our deepest bow and warmest greetings from the entire cast of the play 'A Man in High Demand'. Everyone is eagerly awaiting your return home. And remember, every era has its own heroes.
Celebrities on Nikishin's Stance
I don't envy Pisarenko and Nikishin at all. They live there now, and they still know that they live in a country that is killing their loved ones and relatives. Within that economic system, they pay taxes. Their money is used to build missiles that destroy our country. It seems to me that their conscience is simply gnawing at them from within.
We were deeply outraged when we saw their video from backstage at the play, where they stood and recorded a message supporting Russian soldiers. It was so... Damn it, you were here with us?! You know who Ukrainians are, you know what Ukraine is?!
