Kino on the war

Position of the band Kino on the war in Ukraine

Following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the official social media accounts of the band Kino published a general-nature post featuring an anti-war "black square" with the caption:

A scream crowds like a lump in the throat among the vocal cords
But the time has come, and now scream or not scream

The band members have not made direct statements about the armed conflict.

Nonetheless, the band's bassist Igor Tikhomirov reposted an open anti-war appeal on his personal Facebook page:

Colors of the Ukrainian flag

The concert program of the band Kino includes Viktor Tsoi's anti-war song "I Declare My Home a Nuclear-Free Zone". Notably, the visual backdrop projected during the performance of this song features the colors of the national flag of Ukraine. This visual imagery is also present in the music video:

Video: KINO — I Declare My Home (2022 Lyric Video)

Rumors of a tour to support the military

In September 2023, a post appeared on the Baza Telegram channel claiming that the production company "Optimus" requested 26.5 million rubles from the Presidential Grants Foundation to organize a patriotic tour of the band Kino across naval bases to "boost the morale" of servicemen. The news was almost certainly fake, as no official confirmation of this information followed. Later, the band responded on social media:

You can find out about all KINO concerts only on our official social networks and on the website KINO.BAND

The band Kino continues to perform concerts across Russian cities.

Titov's collaboration with BG

It is worth noting that Alexander Titov is also the primary bass guitarist for the current international lineup of "BG+" (the band led by Boris Grebenshchikov). Grebenshchikov openly condemned the war, was designated a "foreign agent" in the Russian Federation, and left the country. Titov continues to perform with him at concerts across Europe and other countries, maintaining artistic and collaborative ties with anti-war artists.

Conclusions

Although the band Kino refrains from direct public political statements, anti-war sentiments can be clearly traced throughout the group's actions. Symbolic support through concert visuals, reposts by members, and collaboration with opposition-minded artists indicate that the musicians do not endorse the aggression. Most likely, they cannot voice their position publicly in order to retain the ability to continue making art and performing for their audience inside Russia.