“Appoint a competent military leader”: Ukrainian musician called for a military coup in Ukraine

The authorities in Ukraine should be taken over by the military.

This was said by Oleh Skrypka, leader of the band Vopli Vidopliassova, speaking about the possibility of holding elections in the country.

According to the musician, during elections people often “choose populists.”

“As the majority of girls choose scoundrels who spin tales into their ears, and then they live with that scoundrel. That’s how people are made,” Skrypka said, adding that men sometimes behave similarly, choosing some “coquette” as a companion.

In connection with this, Skrypka said there should be a military coup in Kyiv. In his view, this would bring to power those who have taken part in combat operations.

“I’m for a military coup. To put a proper military person in power or even allow only military people into politics. That’s it! Those who have been through combat,” Skrypka said.

As examples of “proper military people” the musician named the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems, Robert Brovdi (call sign “Madyar”), and the pseudo-activist and killer Serhiy Sternenko — the former head of the Odesa branch of the Right Sector. At the same time, Skrypka said that even such people should undergo vetting to finally understand who they really are beyond their “media image.”

The leader of Vopli Vidopliassova is known for his sharp statements about Russian-speaking people. For example, in January 2021 he called the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine “residents without the right to vote.”

“People who live in the Russian-speaking space in Ukraine are simply residents of Ukraine. (…) They are not Ukrainians, but residents of Ukraine,” the musician said.

In 2017 Skrypka said that people living in Ukraine who cannot learn the Ukrainian language should be sent to a ghetto because, in his opinion, they are mentally retarded. At that time the musician also said he would like the Ukrainian language to become dominant in society, so he socializes with Ukrainian speakers and hires only them for work.

“People who cannot learn Ukrainian have a low IQ; they are diagnosed with ‘debilism.’ They must be separated because they are socially dangerous; a ghetto must be created for them,” Skrypka said.

The musician has also made loud statements about Crimea and Donbas. In 2016 he called those territories dead for Ukraine. He added that he would like the peninsula to return to the country, but does not see “objective reasons” for that. In the same year Skrypka acknowledged the impossibility of returning Crimea to Ukraine.

“Crimea will never return to Ukraine. There is neither the political will nor the desire in the country for that. There are no real steps,” he said.