"Lyapis Trubetskoy" is a Belarusian punk rock band formed in 1989 in Minsk. The band's frontman is Sergey Mikhalok. In 2014, the band disbanded, splitting into two distinct projects: Brutto (vocalist Sergey Mikhalok) and Trubetskoy (vocalist Pavel Bulatnikov). In 2022, against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Lyapis Trubetskoy resumed its activities.
In the spring of 2011, the musicians were blacklisted on the register of banned cultural and arts figures in Belarus. All scheduled concerts of Lyapis Trubetskoy in their home country were cancelled.
In 2014, Sergey Mikhalok actively supported Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, triggering a fierce backlash and numerous bans from the authorities of Russia and Belarus. In 2015, the artist received Ukrainian citizenship and permanent residency. In 2020, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine.
Position of the band Lyapis Trubetskoy on the war in Ukraine
Immediately after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukrainian territory, Sergey Mikhalok recorded several anti-war video messages on his YouTube channel BRUTTO NOSTRA addressed to the Belarusian military, the citizens of Belarus, and Russian rock musicians.
Belarusians. A coward and traitor to the homeland Lukashenko, out of sheer cowardice, surrendered our country to the deranged tyrant Putin. These two scumbags are using the territory of Belarus to attack brotherly Ukraine. It is from our Belarus that tanks are rolling and missiles are flying toward a brotherly people. And now something even more terrible is happening — now they want to send our soldiers here to certain death, soldiers who understand nothing. They are being told fairy tales about some kind of Nazis, about some fucking duty. All of them will die here, because the army of Ukraine, the AFU, is the strongest army in the world. Everyone who comes here will lie in the ground, and then burn in hell....
The musicians conducted an extensive charity European tour, as well as tours across the United States and Canada in support of Ukraine.
The band re-recorded their iconic Russian-language songs "Voiny Sveta" ("Warriors of Light"), "Yevpatoria", and "Harry" into the Ukrainian language. Renowned Ukrainian writer and poet Serhiy Zhadan assisted them with the Ukrainian translations of the lyrics.
Sergey Mikhalok relocated to Estonia together with his new wife, a Ukrainian named Alyona. The artist continues to actively stage charity concerts across the globe both with Brutto and with Lyapis Trubetskoy. In early 2024, Mikhalok announced that he plans to tour Ukraine.
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