Gennady Khazanov is a Soviet and Russian theater, film, and voice actor of Jewish origin, television presenter, and public figure. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1991). Member of the presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress. Since 1997, he has served as artistic director of the Moscow Variety Theatre. He was born on December 1, 1945, in Moscow, RSFSR.
On February 6, 2012, he was officially registered as an authorized representative of presidential candidate Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for a third term.
In March 2014, Khazanov supported the annexation of Crimea, signing the collective letter "Russian Cultural Figures in Support of the President's Position on Ukraine and Crimea." Later, in an interview with the TV channel "Dozhd," the artist explained that he signed the letter supporting Russia's actions in Crimea solely to pursue a peaceful resolution to the situation through negotiations. He did not envision any military action on the territory of Crimea.
In December 2020, he was entered into the database of the Myrotvorets website for illegally visiting Russian-occupied Crimea, participating in propaganda activities against Ukraine, attempting to legalize the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and other infractions.
Gennady Khazanov's Stance on the War in Ukraine
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Gennady Khazanov left for Latvia, stating that he was travelling for a vacation. In March 2022, he cancelled all theater productions featuring his participation.
In 2023, he published a video with anti-war undertones on his YouTube channel, in which he quoted Leo Tolstoy (some time later the video was taken down from public view):
War is such an unjust, evil deed that those fighting try to stifle the voice of conscience within themselves. Patriotism for rulers is a tool for achieving power-hungry and self-serving aims, and for the ruled — an abdication of human dignity, reason, and conscience, and slavish submission to those in power. Patriotism is slavery.
According to unconfirmed reports, Emperor Peter I uttered these words about the Russian people: «With other European peoples one can achieve goals through humane means, but with Russians it is not so. … I am dealing not with human beings, but with beasts…
This statement prompted an aggressive backlash among Russian Z-patriots, who accused Khazanov of "discrediting the Russian army" and demanded that authorities investigate him for compliance with Russian laws.
A year after the start of the so-called SMO, Gennady Khazanov returned to Russia and resumed his post as artistic director of the Moscow Variety Theatre.
In November 2023, the theater found itself in the center of a scandal — a large portrait of Alla Pugacheva was displayed in its foyer. Despite public outrage and the precedent of the singer's portrait being removed from the "Oktyabrsky" Grand Concert Hall in Saint Petersburg, Khazanov refused to take down the prima donna's portrait.
The artist also made it clear that he has no intention of condemning colleagues who emigrated:
I am nobody's judge, I do not act as an accuser; each person is the architect of their own fortune and misfortune. Everyone chooses their own path and takes personal responsibility for the outcome. I must do what I can, while remaining grateful to those who give me this opportunity.
Khazanov avoids making political statements, offering no direct remarks about the war. Since returning, his public comments have been limited to cautious philosophical musings devoid of concrete positions.
