Yuriy Khovanskiy on the war

In December 2020, he was listed in the database of the Mirotvorets website as a provocateur and anti-Ukrainian propagandist.

In his public rhetoric, he systematically demonstrated a derogatory attitude toward Ukraine—specifically insisting on using the imperial prepositional form "na Ukraine" instead of the grammatically proper and respectful "v Ukraine":

Khovansky also repeatedly broadcast imperialistic narratives, indulging in statements about conquering Ukrainian territories, including declaring:

I plan to tour Ukraine with concerts when Putin captures Kyiv and it becomes a province of Russia—that's when I'll come immediately.

In June 2021, Khovansky was arrested on charges of justifying terrorism over a song mockingly addressing the 2002 Dubrovka theater hostage crisis (Nord-Ost) and spent roughly six months in pretrial detention. In July 2022, the criminal prosecution was terminated due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, granting the blogger permission to travel abroad.

Khovansky's stance on the war in Ukraine

At the outbreak of the full-scale invasion (February 2022), Khovansky was under criminal investigation and court-imposed restrictions, leading him to refrain from vocal political statements.

In September 2022, immediately after receiving his international passport following the announcement of "partial mobilization," Yuri Khovansky hastily fled Russia and emigrated to Serbia. He explained his departure by a terror of being drafted into combat:

Even though most people laugh at me, saying: «Look, Yura, you're sickly, you never served, you're fat, you're an alcoholic. Who would mobilize you?» I don't have the slightest desire to test that out. So once I got my passport—suitcase, train station, Serbia. Hopefully they'll welcome me there.

Following his relocation, Khovansky continued livestreaming while continuously echoing Kremlin propaganda narratives. For instance, in a video discussing a meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump, Khovansky repeatedly insisted that Russia is waging not a war, but an "SVO," crudely mocking Zelenskyy and regurgitating Moscow's propaganda. He disparaged the President of Ukraine as a "pushover" in a hopeless impasse, while praising Trump as a "real man" who would supposedly force Kyiv to surrender to any terms. The blogger insisted that Putin's ultimatums (neutral status, state Russian language, renouncing NATO, and "denazification") were "completely reasonable" and claimed that the war drags on solely due to the Ukrainian leadership's stubborn clinging to "Bandera monuments." Khovansky also justified the annexation of Crimea, claiming the peninsula "chose for itself" where to belong, while denying Putin's genocidal intentions by claiming Putin views Ukrainians as a "fraternal people." His overarching message is that Ukraine should cease resistance, concede defeat, and capitulate, claiming Russia is advancing relentlessly on all fronts.

Pro-war statements during livestreams

In 2026, during a collaborative stream with Russian Z-bloggers Mafanya and Booker, Khovansky once again reaffirmed his aggressive pro-Russian allegiance toward those who reject the invasion. Specifically, he unleashed violent threats targeting popular streamer Nekoglai, who openly supports Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (including funding drone procurements). Khovansky proclaimed that for dancing in support of the Ukrainian military, Nekoglai should not merely be banned, but subjected to physical assault:

...For dancing in support of the AFU, he shouldn't just be banned, his ass needs to be whipped...

The broadcast culminated in the condition under which Khovansky claimed he would "forgive" Nekoglai: demanding that the streamer publicly endorse the Russian invaders and celebrate the capture of Ukrainian cities:

...Let him say that he stands with Russia and supports our heavy-hitters [Russian soldiers], and wants Russia to capture Kyiv and even Lviv...

This incident definitively cemented Khovansky's role as a war propagandist who, having fled abroad to dodge mobilization, zealously advocates the destruction of Ukraine from safety.

A similar posture is evident in Khovansky's other collaborative streams alongside pro-Kremlin influencers.

Thus, even after abandoning Russia, Khovansky never abandoned Kremlin talking points, continuing to broadcast aggressive anti-Ukrainian propaganda.