On the last night of 2013, the Russians who turned on the television saw on the Rossiya channel the show New Year’s Eve, presented by two comedians: the Russian Maxim Galkin and the Ukrainian Volodimir Zelensky. That’s the night of musical numbers and easy jokes. Galkin and Zelensky, for some reason, ended up joking about the war. As if Christmas were “a battle.”
Nine years later, the war is real. Zelensky is the president of the attacked country. Galkin is a Russian comedian in exile. Being against the invasion of Ukraine has harmed many artistic careers in Russia. But Moscow’s punishing tenacity is such that it is even difficult to seek refuge in the large Russian neighborhood. for months Galkin has been denied permission to perform in Kazakhstan several times.. He denounces that the Kazakh authorities, under pressure from Moscow, make all kinds of excuses so that he cannot take his shows.
Jewish on his mother’s side, Galkin was the host of the Russian version of the show Who wants to be a millionaire?. Since 2016 she has hosted a children’s talent show on television. Since 2001, Galkin has been romantically involved with the famous Russian singer Alla Pugacheva, also critical of the war.
Last year he accused Russian authorities of hypocrisy and lies regarding the war crimes Russia has committed by firing rockets into the Ukrainian city of Odessa, the siege and destruction of Mariupol, and the Bucha atrocities. He had already criticized Russia’s gay propaganda law, comparing it to a “witch hunt.” But it was not until he criticized the war that some spokespersons from the war sector, such as the head of the foreign propaganda channel RT, Margarita Simonyan, put doubts about his heterosexuality and the possibility that his marriage was a farce on the table.
Kazakhstanwhich has somewhat cooled its relationship with Moscow, continues to fear a clash with the Kremlin. “I am so afraid of the authorities in Kazakhstan that they are very afraid to hold my performances. At the moment there is a tacit ban on holding my concerts,” Galkin told his fans. fans. After complaints from followers, it was announced that some shows: The concerts would finally be held on October 8 in Astana and on October 9 in Almaty.