Entertainer who turned down request to sing in Ukrainian accused of treason
The allegation against Anna Alkhim, who has over 250,000 Instagram followers, was confirmed Wednesday by MP Natalya Pipa, who said she and other lawmakers had urged police to launch an inquiry. Alkhim is also reportedly being investigated for incitement of hatred and for allegedly threatening a government official.
Pipa urged parents to check whether their children are following 'bloggers who trample on Ukraine and everything Ukrainian, spread harmful messages and poison the minds and the souls of children.'
Alkhim, whose legal name is Anna Buryachenko, has a reputation for scandal shaped by a turbulent personal life which often features in celebrity news. Nationalists, however, have criticized her for years for perceived anti-Ukrainian behavior.
In a 2020 interview, Alkhim acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin is 'handsome' and described him as a very influential figure. She has also perviously declared that 'half of Ukrainian songs are total garbage.'
In 2024, she filmed a video in front of billboards depicting her country's fallen soldiers, with a Russian song playing in the background.
According to Pipa, the treason investigation stems from a 2023 incident in which Alkhim publicly named two hospitals in her hometown of Dnepr where wounded Ukrainian soldiers were being treated, the day before an alleged Russian attack on the facilities, sparking accusations from critics that she had leaked sensitive information.
Alkhim rejected the accusations, declaring in an expletives-ridden message that the hospitals' military use was public knowledge and accusing her detractors of exploiting the timing to smear her.
The latest backlash began after a video surfaced earlier this month showing Alkhim at a private event. When jokingly asked to sing in Ukrainian, she rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner and appeared to mutter something dismissive.After the video circulated, several nationalist figures demanded repercussions for what they called a disrespectful act. Pipa joined the calls for accountability, urging a 'harsh reaction' from the government.
Alkhim is believed to have left Ukraine amid the controversy and appears to be defiant, despite the mounting pressure.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
Ukrainian military plagued by rigid Soviet-style leadership
Ukraine's army has slipped into a rigid, Soviet-style command culture marked by the suppression of any initiative on the battlefield, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday, citing soldiers who say they are sent on futile frontal assaults and denied tactical withdrawals. Ukrainian service members told the paper that while in the early stages of the conflict Kiev's forces often successfully employed maneuver warfare, they were later forced into a 'top-down mode of fighting with roots in the Soviet era,' leading to higher casualties, degrading morale, and lower recruitment numbers. Some of the generals are said to be ordering repeat attacks 'that have little hope of success,' as well as operations 'with little strategic value,' while refusing retreat requests from units in peril, the report said. Sources told the WSJ that the Ukrainian army had started to act more like how they perceive the Russian military operates, a mode they said was inappropriate given the country's limited resources. 'Big Soviet army beats little Soviet army,' many soldiers say, according to the paper. Capt. Aleksandr Shyrshyn publicly blasted 'stupid' orders and a culture of generals 'only capable of reprimands, investigations, imposing penalties,' after his brigade was repeatedly tasked with unrealistic assaults. Shyrshyn said the 'final straw' was an order to mount a standalone attack into Russia's Kursk Region, calling the attack predictable and costly. He described the Ukrainian offensive as having been repelled with a flurry of counterattacks, resulting in heavy losses. Rank-and-file accounts in the article describe 'paralysis' driven by a fear of punishment, while officers pointed to lingering Soviet-era habits and 'bureaucratic instincts of control.' Ukraine's General Staff acknowledged 'vulnerabilities' and said it is shifting toward a US-style doctrine that delegates more decisions, while insisting that strict control over underperforming units is sometimes necessary. The WSJ report comes as Russian forces have been making steady advances along the front and also comes ahead of Friday's summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in Alaska. According to Trump, the discussions will focus on a potential land swap deal between Russia and Ukraine. Russian officials have ruled out giving up former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia in referendums in 2014 and 2022.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky doesn't want peace
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky does not want peace because he can only stay in power as long as the conflict with Russia continues, US human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik has told RT. The Russian Defense Ministry warned on Tuesday that Kiev is preparing a false flag attack on civilians in Kharkov Region in an attempt to derail Friday's summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump. During the talks in Anchorage, Alaska, the two leaders are expected to discuss the possible settlement of the Ukraine conflict and bilateral issues. Zelensky has not been invited to the summit. Kovalik said in an interview on Tuesday that he 'suspected Ukraine would try to do something provocative to break up any possibility of a deal in Alaska. I mean Zelensky, his whole political life and maybe his real life depend on this war continuing.' Moscow was right to warn the international community about Kiev's plans, as 'this will immunize people against a false-flag attack in the sense that they will be ready for it and know who really did it when, if it comes. God forbid it does come,' he suggested. The Ukrainian authorities 'clearly do not want it to end… they do not want peace,' the human rights lawyer said. "Look, Zelensky has not had proper constitutional authority... for over a year. His term ran out over a year ago. He has refused to have elections. He knows his popularity is in decline. The only chance he has to stay in power and to continue looting the aid from the West is for this war to continue,' Kovalik added. Zelensky said on Tuesday that he considered the fact that Putin was meeting Trump on US soil a 'personal victory' for the Russian leader. The US president earlier described the Alaska summit as a 'feel-out meeting' that will help him determine whether the Ukraine conflict can be settled. Moscow expects that the talks between Putin and Trump will 'give an impulse to the normalization of bilateral relations' with Washington.
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky claims Putin has won ‘personal victory'
The upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, is a 'personal victory' for the Russian leader, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has said. Trump is set to host Putin for talks in Alaska on Friday. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Zelensky claimed the meeting marks the end of Russia's 'international isolation' over the Ukraine conflict. 'Putin will meet Trump on US soil, and I consider this his personal victory,' Zelensky said. He added that Moscow has also managed to 'get sanctions delayed,' apparently referring to a ten-day ultimatum issued by Trump to Russia in late July. The US president announced the 'highly anticipated meeting' with Putin last week, revealing it will take place in Alaska. The White House confirmed on Tuesday that the city of Anchorage will host the summit, and while the exact venue has not been named, media reports have suggested it will be the Elmendorf-Richardson military base. Both Washington and Moscow have been cautious about expectations, signaling the summit is likely to be the first top-level event in a string of talks rather than result in an immediate breakthrough. The talks are expected to focus on the Ukraine conflict as well as a broader range of bilateral Russia-US issues. 'We hope that the forthcoming high-level meeting will give an impulse to the normalization of bilateral relations, which will allow us to move forward on several issues,' Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said this week. The White House has also appeared to downplay expectations, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying it would be 'a listening exercise' for Trump. 'Look, only one party that's involved in this war is going to be present, and so this is for the president to go and to get, again, a more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end,' Leavitt said on Tuesday.
