Sergey Shnurov on the war

Shnurov veiled his vision of the reasons for Russia's attack on Ukraine in the song «Geopoliticheskaya», voicing one of the Kremlin's narratives about the war being caused by Ukraine seeking to join NATO:

Actually, we've been married for so long
And I've always helped her out!
My wife, you see, wanted into NATO,
That's why she has a black eye.

The artist continued to live and perform in Russia:

Like Ksenia Sobchak, I prefer to be with my people in fatal moments. That is why Ksenia obtained an Israeli passport, while I stayed with a Russian one.

Criticism of Russian authorities in songs

In March 2022, Shnurov released a music video for a new song in which he harshly ridiculed the «Russian elites» leaving the country after February 24:

In any case, the time of sausages, forums, buffets, and biennales is over. Total Donbas has come to us ourselves, and f***ing doom is guaranteed for everyone in the finale.

In «Melochi» («Trifles», March 2022), he directly mentions sending young Russians «on the special operation». In «Inoagent» («Foreign Agent»), he mocks the search for «internal enemies», and in «Nasha Ekonomika» («Our Economy») and «Moskvich» — Russian import substitution and the state of the economy.

In the songs «Gamayun» and «Psikhoterapevticheskaya» («Psychotherapeutic»), Shnurov satirizes unfolding events and official rhetoric, while «Yo! O!» is dedicated to censorship, fear, and the purging of Russian pop culture. At the same time, the artist avoids direct accusations against the authorities and presents his lyrics as satire rather than a political statement.

Mocking artists who left Russia

Simultaneously, Shnurov increasingly mocked those who left Russia and openly spoke against the war. In the song «Ne Zorro» («Not Zorro»), he attacked his former friend Aleksandr Nevzorov after his departure and acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship, effectively portraying him as someone trying to profit from the war.

In «Mertvets» («The Dead Man»), Shnurov responded to criticism of that song and stated that he did not want to become either a «Putinist» or the opposite.

At a TASS press conference, Shnurov declared: «To leave means to betray your audience.»

Fake news about Shnurov visiting the «LPR»

On August 5, 2023, several media outlets reported that Sergey Shnurov, along with Yevgeny Prigozhin and actor Georgy Bolonev, had arrived in the «LPR». As confirmation, a photograph appeared showing all three posing against the backdrop of a city memorial.

Being in Turkey at the time, Shnurov reacted aggressively to the photo — in the comments to the publication, the singer replied crudely: «Took my old photo and pasted it onto someone else's picture. Like a schoolboy, honestly.»

It was later revealed that the man in the photo mistaken for Shnurov was actor Sergey Garusov.

Performance of the song «For Whom the Bells Toll?» at Luzhniki

On September 10, 2022, the scandalous band Leningrad performed at a concert at Luzhniki celebrating the 875th anniversary of the Russian capital. Shnurov performed his song «For Whom Do the Bells Toll?». The track begins with the words: «Yesterday I had a wonderful dream: Moscow burned down entirely. A fire on Red Square, and the former Election Commission is smoldering.»

Concert cancellations in 2023

In 2023, concerts of the band Leningrad began to be canceled for unknown reasons. Regarding this, scandalous journalist Ksenia Sobchak wrote the following on her Telegram channel on September 15, 2023:

Leningrad's concert scheduled for September 16 at Luzhniki will not take place, of course, not for some mythical reasons, but for one completely obvious reason, and its name is «Prigozhin». Shnurov was too close to the body, and this worked against him. Now he is unwelcome to the governors of both capitals — both Beglov and Sobyanin. Truly, the man backed the wrong horse.

The song «Rostec»

After concert cancellations due to perceived insufficient patriotism, Shnurov decided to make amends by releasing a laudatory song about the state corporation «Rostec».

The music video showcases missile launches, flights of aircraft and fighter jets, military equipment, and also features Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov. In the chorus of the song, the phrase is repeated multiple times: «No f***ing arguing: Rostec has the best weapons.»

Refusal to aid «SMO» soldiers

In August 2025, Shnurov found himself at the center of a scandal. According to Russian activist-informer Vitaly Borodin, in response to his request, the musician refused to transfer 50 million rubles to «SMO soldiers», «hiding behind showmanship and refusing to participate in the real life of the country». Borodin threatened Shnurov with the cancellation of all concerts.

In response, Shnurov told the activist to buzz off on behalf of the fighters themselves, whom he knows personally:

I know many SMO fighters personally, and they told me they had never heard of any Borodin. Let alone asked some Vitalik Borodin to speak on their behalf or on their instructions. «Who is that? We don't know him! Let him go f*** himself!» — that's exactly what they said.

Conclusion

Despite occasional satirical statements directed at the Russian authorities, Shnurov did not condemn Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, continued living and performing in Russia, criticized artists who left the country, and released materials demonstrating loyalty to the Russian state system. Particularly telling is the «Rostec» video featuring Russian military hardware and the head of the state corporation tied to the Russian military-industrial complex.

He tries to sit on two chairs at once: on the one hand, preserving the image of a rebel-satirist mocking the absurdity of what is happening, and on the other, not losing the ability to earn money in Russia. But his «disputed nature» ultimately works in favor of the state machine.