Stand-up artist Andriy Shchegel fled Ukraine and insulted our defenders: how his supporters reacted
In an interview with Roman Skrypin, Ukrainian stand-up comedian and member of the Srakadupa project Andriy Shchegel made a scandalous statement that he fled Ukraine using his status as an artist.
The media write that Shchegel is a person liable for military service. In particular, he graduated from the Lviv Military Lyceum and the Law Lyceum of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Academy.
The artist himself stated that he had received three summonses from the military enlistment office - two from Rakhiv (Zakarpattia region) and one from Nadvirna (Ivano-Frankivsk region) and admitted that he had ignored the call to report to the recruitment and support center.
"I am not afraid of the military commissars, I position myself as a free man, I realized that I could no longer do it and found a way to get out and live in a comfortable psychological environment. That's what I'm honestly telling you," Shchegel told Skrypin.
He also said that he had left for Turkey. Then he is going to move to Albania, and then to tour Europe.
Shchegel also said that he had received permission to perform in a foreign country from the Ministry of Culture. "I am abroad, and the state has given me permission to do so," the stand-up added.
As for the complaints that while he is vacationing abroad, his countrymen are fighting the enemy, Shchegel said: "I assume that it is the guys' choice to die. I sincerely sympathize with everyone who is forced to defend Ukraine now, because they love it, and I sincerely sympathize with Ukraine that it is experiencing the most terrible tragedy in its history and, perhaps, in the world today."
After this scandalous statement, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine commented on the situation with the artist's departure as follows: "The comedian's actions are unacceptable under martial law, at a time when the vast majority of conscious men remain in the country and are ready to fight for the preservation of our state."
The agency explained that Shchegel was in a group that was granted such a temporary permit when he traveled abroad.
"The ICIP facilitates the departure of various artists, creators, painters, artists, musicians, journalists, etc. who are aware of their cause and civic position, but due to cases like Andriy Shchegel's, the situation for those who really defend Ukraine and fight on the cultural front is getting more complicated," the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the artist's supporters on his social media began to criticize Shchegel for his statement and decision to leave the country to avoid the war.
In particular, the following comments appeared under his posts on Instagram:
- "You can tell by the fact that it's a pisser...
- I hope that life will repay you in the same coin, you ignorant creature
- You're a piece of shit! While your peers are dying every day, you, an idiot, boast that you escaped
- I advise you not to return to Ukraine after the war. We don't need shit like that in Ukraine.
- If the country is fiction, then don't come back to Ukraine in the physical dimension. Live only in a fictitious country.
- Come to Ukraine, a "leading" artist, after the war, we'll come to a concert, we'll laugh together, you fucker.
- I'm ashamed of people like you. You studied at a military university, and the only thing you can do is be a jester on Instagram.
- I did not choose to die... I chose to defend my family, relatives, friends, city, and Ukraine. Yes, war means death, destruction, and fear. For such words, I want to punch you in the head once.
- Don't talk about soldiers like that if you don't understand it.
- Well, you're f**ked, using your right as a biological being. It's your decision, your responsibility. But in Ukraine, you, your career, is going to be kneeling, ideally, deprivation of citizenship.
- You can get the word "reputation" tattooed under the "cross" tattoo
- I have a question for all the guys who got fucked up - guys, how do you plan to live with this?
- Dude, do me a favor, don't go back, we don't need such fuck-ups in the country
- Did anybody choose to die, I'm not ashamed to ask. Everyone chose to defend their country, not die
- No one wants to die, everyone wants to live in Ukraine under the Ukrainian flag
Earlier it became known that an escort from Kyiv, Oksana Voloshchuk (pseudonym Ksyusha Mannequin), received an order from the authorities for "helping military intelligence".
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