Kasta on the war

Kasta members' stance on the war in Ukraine

On February 24, 2022, Vladi, on behalf of all members of the group "Kasta", published an Instagram post clearly stating a position against the war in Ukraine and urging Russians not to remain silent:

In August, the group was blacklisted on the "banned artists list" and was forced to flee Russia. Currently, the collective periodically performs concerts in other countries.

What Kasta member Shym says about the war

Shym's quotes from an interview with the Zerkalo news portal dated June 24, 2022:

• "In my view, Putin has gagged everyone so deftly and reliably that for public figures, silence and non-support of what is happening is perhaps the only way to indicate their position safely for themselves and their loved ones. Most people outside Russia who wonder why Russians are silent don't realize how severely citizens have been silenced. I believe that right now, any refusal to support the Z-fetish is already an expression of position. I'll also add that these decent people probably believed too much in the best and hoped that this could never happen. And now they find themselves in a dead end, with no plan of action and almost nothing depending on them."

• "Among colleagues in the genre, there is one person whose words carry more weight than nuclear weapons — that is Basta. But unfortunately, he is silent. I hope only for now."

• "I have fears for my loved ones who currently remain in Russia, but I cannot remain silent. I comfort myself with the hope that I am too small a fish for a rabid bear."

What Kasta member Vladi says about the war

• "A year ago, Putin started a war against Ukraine. Wars have names. This one he called a 'special military operation', thinking he would win easily. Becoming the greatest in the world is truly his only motive; there are no others, though he invented many excuses for the naive: sodomites and Satanists, Nazis and Anglo-Saxons, 8 years, multipolarity, fighting NATO, traditions and family, Russophobia."

• "I was convinced that war was impossible. I genuinely feel that we and Ukrainians are brothers and close kin, between whom war is impossible. ... I wish everyone to live to see the time when Russia officially enumerates the crimes of the current regime and acknowledges them."

In December 2022, Vladi released the anti-war album "February Lasts" ("Dlitsya fevral") — exploring life in Russia amidst the catastrophe.

Currently, Vladi resides with his family in Cyprus.

On January 24, 2025, Vladi was designated a foreign agent in Russia.