Vyacheslav Butusov on the war

Justification of Russian aggression

Vyacheslav Butusov has refrained from making direct militaristic declarations in favor of the invasion; however, he publicly justified Russian aggression, describing the war as inevitable and adopting rhetoric identical to the official line of the Russian authorities.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, when asked "How do you feel about the special military operation?", Butusov replied:

It was unexpected. With all my life experience, I never imagined that something like this could still occur in the history of our generation. At first, of course, it stunned me; for a long time I was in a state of stupor. But then I had to review certain materials, and I formed my own vision and understanding of these events. As I understand it, the conflict in Ukraine could only be delayed for a while, but it was inevitable. Over there (in Ukraine — ed.), everything was being prepared so vilely, deceitfully, and treacherously that simply... Even the word 'surprise' does not fit here... It is, of course, monstrous

A great deal of monstrous things happen in the world. It has always been like that in human history. But that is why we were given strength, given God's support. And one must never betray this spiritual support. For up there in heaven, the angels are battling tirelessly with their swords — hacking away just as is happening right now in Donbas.

Participation in state-sponsored events

Following the outbreak of the full-scale war, Butusov continued performing at high-profile events attended by senior Russian officials.

The artist performed his song "Goodbye, America" at the closing gala of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok. During his performance, Andrey Kostin, the head of VTB Bank and a staunch Putin loyalist who actively backs the war against Ukraine, danced alongside him on stage.

On 22 August 2023, he performed at a patriotic concert celebrating Russian Flag Day at Luzhniki Stadium together with his band "Orden Slavy". Such spectacles are traditionally organized with state backing and deployed as key instruments of official patriotic indoctrination.

Cancellation of overseas concerts

A concert in Helsinki scheduled for 10 September 2022 was canceled by Finnish organizers due to Vyacheslav Butusov's political convictions and his previous touring in occupied Crimea.