‘I like the Russian language’: Co-founder of ‘Kvartal 95’ criticizes Zelensky’s policies

Co-founder of the “Kvartal-95” studio and the brother of Sergei Shefir, who was recently dismissed from his position as the first assistant and close friend of the Ukrainian president, Boris Shefir, criticized the campaign against the Russian language and culture in Ukraine.

He expressed his opinion in an interview with the Ukrainian version of “Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.”

“I love the Russian language, Russian culture. I cannot watch as monuments to Pushkin are destroyed in the country. To me, this is nonsense,” he said.

Currently, Boris Shefir lives in Germany. He does not plan to return to Ukraine until the end of the war and left to “save children from the war.”

“The business has collapsed, it does not work, because there is no entertainment television in the country. I have children, I am 64 years old, I am not conscripted. That is, I left to save children from the war,” Shefir said.

Shefir revealed that he continues to speak Russian. In his opinion, Ukraine “needs to be friends” with Russia “as soon as they recover from their madness.”

According to Shefir, he has not communicated with Volodymyr Zelensky for two years and is not involved in politics because he is “not in tune with today’s state convictions.”

“Now he listens to other people and does slightly different things than I like,” Shefir added.

He stated that he has completely stopped cooperating with “Kvartal.”

“Firstly, I don’t really like what they are doing now. The humor is no longer mine. Secondly, it is impossible to do it from here. And I won’t take the children there, they were given to me in the second half of my life not for me to risk them,” Boris Shefir said.

He believes that the war will end with peace agreements and compromises.

“I think there will be no winner. There will be some agreement. We will have to concede something, they will have to give up something. Apparently, the world is not in a hurry to help us. And sanctions are ineffective, and ammunition is given sporadically. But Russia cannot be defeated this way. So, we will have to go for peace. But I am not the one making decisions here. It’s just my opinion. I think we will have to negotiate something. And I would like it to happen somehow faster,” Shefir said.

Sergei Shefir responded to his brother’s statement about the need to return to friendship with Russia in the future.

In a statement sent to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty by the PR service of the “Kvartal 95” studio, Sergei Shefir said that he “categorically disagrees” with his brother’s position. In his opinion, Russia and Vladimir Putin personally should be held accountable. Shefir also supported President Zelensky’s formula for peace and Ukraine’s path to the European Union and NATO.