Slava Komissarenko is a renowned Belarusian stand-up comedian. He was born on July 27, 1985, in Minsk.
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In his native Belarus, authorities launched a criminal case against the comedian for slander against Alexander Lukashenko (Article 367 of the Criminal Code).
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In January 2022, he fled Russia for Ukraine, fearing pursuit and detention by the Belarusian KGB.
Video: Slava Komissarenko "Stand-up from Warsaw"
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Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the artist performed extensively across Poland and donated part of the proceeds to humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Currently, Slava continues touring European cities, but avoids making public political statements regarding his support for Ukraine.
- Signed an open letter from the comedy community to Vladimir Putin urging an immediate halt to hostilities in Ukraine and the resolution of disagreements through negotiations. The appeal was signed by more than 250 comedians, including Artur Chaparyan, Mikhail Shats, Semyon Slepakov, and others.
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In Belarus, content on the YouTube channel "vDud" was outlawed as "extremist," partly due to the interview with comedian Slava Komissarenko.
What Slava Komissarenko says about the war in Ukraine
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From an interview with Yuri Dud: Did you expect Russia could start a war? "I absolutely did not expect it. That is, it was just total shock. Because everyone probably expected there would be some pretext, some sort of provocation. That Russia would stage shooting from Ukraine's side and say: 'Look, you blew up something there, you destroyed something, and in response we are attacking you.' They didn't even bother to invent anything. They just rolled in... like riding a bus. It's completely insane, utterly so."
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"Right now we are living in a time when any of your actions, every move you make, and every failure to act carries definite consequences. Before the war, in difficult circumstances or tricky life situations, you could keep silent and people might not notice. Or you could make some vague statement that pleased both sides and nobody would pay mind. But today everything is unequivocal: if you stay silent, you share responsibility for it. People draw conclusions about you, and there are assessments made about you that you have no defense against. That's why I think those who stayed silent made that choice for specific reasons. I don't know—maybe their management pressures them and doesn't let them speak, or something else... A stand-up comedian is supposed to be a rebel. He says things that can't be scripted in an office. But what are you supposed to do during a war? Tell jokes about how cats differ from dogs? People might say sure, cats differ from dogs, but isn't there something else going on right now?"
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"I made a joke about Lukashenko in Belarus—they banned me from performing in Belarus. I made a joke about Lukashenko in Russia—the KGB came after me. I fled to Kyiv. I made a joke about Lukashenko in Ukraine—the war broke out. I fled to Poland. When I was entering Poland, the border guard asked me: 'Purpose of visit?' I replied: 'You will find out soon enough.'"
Anti-war posts on social media
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