Tatyana Kravchenko is a Soviet and Russian theater and film actress, People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2002). She gained the greatest popularity across CIS countries thanks to the role of Valentina (Valyukha) Budko in the comedy television series "Svaty" ("In-Laws"). She was born on December 9, 1953, in Stalino (now Donetsk), Ukrainian SSR.
According to a number of media reports, in 2015 the actress supported the annexation of Crimea and Russia's actions in Donbas. Due to her support for the occupation of Ukrainian territories, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) banned her from entering the country in 2015. Despite this, Kravchenko continued to work in the Russian Federation and star in projects by the Ukrainian studio "Kvartal 95" up until the release of the final season of the series "Svaty" in 2021.
In April 2018, she was entered into the database of the "Myrotvorets" website for promoting Russian Nazism and fascism, as well as illegal touring activities in annexed Crimea.
Tatyana Kravchenko's position on the war in Ukraine
After the start of the full-scale war on February 24, 2022, Tatyana Kravchenko did not comment on the conduct of the so-called "special military operation" for some time. The actress continued living in Moscow and actively touring across Russian cities.
In January 2023, Kravchenko took part in the propaganda program "Life and Fate" with Boris Korchevnikov on the state TV channel "Russia 1". On the air of the broadcast, she openly declared her readiness to go to the front line:
If I were younger, I would go to the front as a nurse. I do not hide this, this is my position. I believe in victory and fully support our army
I don't understand at all how anyone could not support their Fatherland, their president...
The actress also harshly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who previously acted as a producer of "Svaty". She accused him of drastic changes and "hatred" toward Russia:
Volodya Zelenskyy... Who would have thought?! He was influenced. How many times did we sit at the table with Volodya, laughing out loud. And suddenly such hatred. Now he forbids speaking Russian in Ukraine, burns books, releases murderers... Why? He hasn't fulfilled a single point of his election manifesto.
Kravchenko voiced sharp outrage over the anti-war stance of her on-screen "granddaughter", Ukrainian actress Anna Koshmal, calling her a personal enemy and accusing her of ingratitude:
I am horrified! I don't know where she got all this from, who brainwashed her there? Nothing foreshadowed it. Anna was calm, quiet, we all supported her... Why did such hatred towards us brew inside her? She has now become my personal enemy, it turns out.
According to director Eduard Radzyukevich, the actress painfully takes what is happening in Donetsk, where she still has relatives; however, she blames solely the Ukrainian side, claiming that her native country is "turning into a fascist state."
In June 2024, Tatyana Kravchenko also severely criticized another actor from "Svaty" — Aleksandr Feklistov, who condemned the Russian invasion and expressed words of solidarity with Ukrainians. The actress accused him of incompetence, stating that "none of these actors understand anything about politics" and that they would be better off keeping quiet.
In 2024, Tatyana Kravchenko recorded a video of support for Chuvash soldiers participating in the "SMO":
God is with us, come home alive, and we will wait
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