Yorsh on the war

«Yorsh»’s Position on the War in Ukraine

Dmitry Sokol broadly spoke out against the war in Ukraine, but chose to omit any mention of who initiated the war and who acts as the aggressor:

For all of us, the morning of February 24 came as a profound shock. I am still trembling. Trembling with helplessness. I would give anything to wake up again and find that none of this had happened. An avalanche of direct messages pours in from my listeners in Ukraine and Russian friends living abroad. Everyone shares only one thought — silent horror and shame that our fraternal nations allowed such a crime. Right now, there is no point in trying to parse who is right and who is wrong. There is no justification for war and death. No logical rationale can ever alleviate the grief of mothers, wives, and children whose fathers, husbands, and sons return home in zinc coffins. I refuse to offer any political assessment of what is unfolding. It simply hurts me, on a purely human level it feels devastating and terrifying, terrifying for dear and beloved friends, terrifying because it is impossible to anticipate what lies ahead. This is an appalling tragedy for which we and our children will pay. I desperately want to close my eyes and wake up, I desperately wish this were merely a nightmare. Hang in there, dear friends! We are not enemies to each other.

Subsequently, this statement was deleted.

They performed at KinchevFest, organized by Konstantin Kinchev, the leader of the band «Alisa», who openly supports the war against Ukraine.

On August 3, 2023, Sokol clarified on his Telegram channel:

Gentlemen, once again for everyone: I PERSONALLY. Stand against ANY war. I do not believe a single politician. I have never rooted for anyone and never dragged anyone onto any barricades (especially not for former Nazis). Everything is said in my songs. I have no intention of justifying myself before overweight retirees suffering from acute attention deficits who personally dismantled their own band and lost respect.

In February 2024, the band was placed on the blacklist of artists whose public performances the authorities deemed undesirable in Russia due to an anti-war stance. However, in September of that same year, the group was removed from the blacklist of prohibited artists.

Concerts in Crimea

In October 2025, «Yorsh» held concerts in occupied Simferopol and Sevastopol, constituting a direct violation of Ukrainian legislation and international legal norms, as well as serving as indirect legitimation of Russia's occupation of the Crimean peninsula.

The band tours actively across Russian cities and pays tax revenues into the budget of the Russian Federation.

Celebrities on Yorsh's Position

There is a promoter named Vladimir Baranov, nicknamed Kalodya; he is currently organizing concerts for famous punk bands: «Yorsh», «Distemper», «Poslednie Tanki v Parizhe», «Psychea», «Affinage». And he is an absolute, one-hundred-percent 'Z-supporter', rooting for Putin, against liberals and democrats, in favor of killing Ukrainians. But with him everything is clear, there are many like him. Yet why my colleagues cooperate with a fascist and make money for him is incomprehensible to me.....
They don't speak out for the war, they don't travel with an agit-brigade to perform for 'our boys', they don't raise money for the DPR. Dima Sokol will tell you that he is continuing cultural resistance, that everyone has different levels of readiness to emigrate and face direct risks, that he has a family, a job, that things are finally taking off for him, that he made it onto Nashe Radio. And otherwise, he is doing whatever he can.