Sqwoz Bab (Marat Mingazov) is a Russian comedy rapper and songwriter. He was born in 1994 in Yoshkar-Ola (Mari El Republic, Russian Federation).
Listening to this artist's tracks on official streaming platforms, social media, and other services indirectly contributes to financing the war — through taxes paid to the budget of the Russian Federation.
Despite this, in March 2026 the artist entered the TOP 10 tracks of Ukrainian Spotify.
Prior to the start of the full-scale invasion, Marat Mingazov collaborated with Ukrainian musicians and visited Kyiv with concerts.
Between 2014 and 2021, Sqwoz Bab made no direct political statements regarding the annexation of Crimea or the war in Donbas, maintaining an image of an apolitical artist.
Sqwoz Bab's stance on the war in Ukraine
After February 24, 2022, Sqwoz Bab made not a single direct public statement condemning Russian aggression or supporting Ukraine, choosing a tactic of silence.
On March 8, 2022, the artist announced the postponement of his new album on Instagram, adding «in these difficult times take care of yourselves, take care of your loved ones, and stay strong»:
After announcing a concert tour on March 26, the rapper received accusations of «performative grief» and insufficient assistance, which he decided to address on his Telegram channel:
The musician continues to live in Russia and conduct active concert activities across the territory of the aggressor country. In June 2022, he participated in VK Fest, which is sponsored by entities closely affiliated with the Russian government.
Currently, Sqwoz Bab has effectively severed all engagement with the Ukrainian audience, focusing strictly on the domestic Russian market. His position is characterized as «conformist», where preserving his career and income inside the Russian Federation takes priority over moral assessment of the military conflict.
The rapper is officially registered in the Roskomnadzor registry. This signifies that the state directly monitors and regulates his activities as a blogger and artist.
