Yalexer (Yal, Aleksey Yashchenko) is a Ukrainian and Russian streamer, video blogger, owner of the YouTube channel "Kanal Yala" and Twitch channel "yalexer". Born on February 8, 1995, in Kharkiv (Ukraine). Lived for many years in Luhansk, but subsequently relocated to Moscow, where he resides and works to this day.
Monetizes content (via streams, ads, subscriptions, merchandise sales, or music platforms) and, in accordance with applicable laws, pays taxes to the budget of the Russian Federation.
Any engagement with this content — views, likes, donations, merchandise purchases, or streams — indirectly contributes to financing the Russian economy and, consequently, the war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian Origin
Prior to the full-scale invasion, Aleksey did not conceal his origins. Videos confirming his deep ties to Ukraine remain publicly preserved online.
In a 2020 video titled "MY SCHOOL DIARY", he showed items from his childhood from which it is obvious that he lived in Ukraine and attended a Ukrainian school.
In a 2019 video titled "FORTNITE IN UKRAINIAN", Yal directly mentioned that he was from Ukraine and played the game speaking in Ukrainian.
Yalexer's Stance on the War in Ukraine
Despite the fact that the blogger's native city (Kharkiv) has been subjected to brutal bombardment since the very first days of the war, and his childhood city (Luhansk) has been under Russian occupation, Yalexer chose a posture of silence and "neutrality." On February 24, 2022, he published a Telegram post with a generic "peace to everyone" message:
Disabled comments so as not to stir up flame wars. Try not to panic. Taking care of your psychological health is important. Everything will get better soon, guys; soon we'll be watching Fortnite and Minecraft videos and streams again with tea and cookies. Peace to everyone
On March 11, 2022, amidst the height of the Russian invasion, he released a video titled "What happens next?". In it, the blogger did not condemn the aggression of the Russian Federation; on the contrary, he urged his audience not to take a clear side:
...The most terrible thing is that people are starting to take sides. I believe that in such matters taking sides is very incorrect... My advice to you: try right now to be human beings and avoid taking sides...
In that same video, he compared the war to natural disasters, diluting the responsibility of the aggressor:
...In the world there are actually so many different events... where enormous numbers of people die... recently we had COVID... Any war, any catastrophe... it cannot compare with the global birth rate of human beings...
He dedicated a major part of his address to complaining about personal inconveniences caused by sanctions and platform restrictions:
...monetization has been turned off, huge numbers of different bans, some restrictions, some sanctions, it's just sheer trash what's happening...
Aleksey openly voiced dissatisfaction with sanctions imposed against the Russian Federation, arguing that they hindered him as a gamer and streamer, while ignoring the reason for their implementation — the war.
Registration with Roskomnadzor and Life in Moscow
Confirming his obedience to Russian legislation, Yalexer registered his blog in the Roskomnadzor (RKN) registry. This mandatory procedure for Russian bloggers with over 10,000 followers entails compliance with Russian statutory regulations, including state censorship regarding the war.
Thus, despite commanding a multi-million audience that includes countless Ukrainian children and teenagers, Yal presents a textbook case of conformism: he continues living in the aggressor state, paying taxes into its treasury and submitting to censorship dictates, effectively turning his back on his homeland to preserve personal comfort and income.
