Vitaly Gogunsky is a Russian film and television actor, singer, composer, producer, and TV presenter. He is best known for his role as Kuzya in the TV sitcom "Univer". Born on July 14, 1978, in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR.
In December 2022, he was listed in the Myrotvorets database for war propaganda, Russian fascism and Nazism, assault on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and other offences.
Vitaly Gogunsky's Stance on the War in Ukraine
In 2022, Vitaly Gogunsky supported Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He composed the patriotic song "Rossiya" ("Russia"), in which he expressed his love and respect for Russia.
He has repeatedly visited the "special operation zone" with concerts for military personnel, and also performed in hospitals where combatants undergo rehabilitation. For instance, in January 2023, he performed in Donbas to support soldiers of the Russian army:
I do such things, first and foremost, for myself, in order to remain human. I cannot help but express my admiration for our guys, real heroes who are fulfilling their duty today like real men. The so-called 'partners' from the West have always reached out their sticky little hands toward Russia, but I would simply call them hypocrites and traitors. Therefore, by supporting our fighters, I support, first and foremost, myself, the future, and the country. Nobody needs us except ourselves. Everyone wants to enslave us and take our resources. If this is not obvious to someone, I sincerely feel sorry for those people.
In January 2023, on the program "Sudba i Zhizn" ("Fate and Life") hosted by propagandist Boris Korchevnikov on the "Rossiya 1" TV channel, he claimed that drugs were added to the tea of Maidan protesters—allegedly to make them angry and inspire them to fight. He also claimed that few people in Ukraine maintain an "adequate perception" of Russians, because citizens are "under an information bell; they are told that they were attacked by invaders and looters."
In August 2023, Gogunsky was denied entry for filming in Georgia "for political reasons" and was escorted by border guards back onto a return flight to Russia.
SBU Criminal Case Against Gogunsky
On June 21, 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) opened a criminal case against Gogunsky for supporting Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and active participation in propaganda events in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. He faces up to 12 years of imprisonment.
On April 18, 2025, it was reported that he was placed on Ukraine's sanctions list for a period of 10 years.
