Russian stand-up comedian Artemyi Ostanin was arrested on charges of inciting hatred over a joke about a disabled man, authorities announced on Tuesday.
The Russian Investigative Committee, which handles major criminal cases, said it had opened a criminal investigation after Ostanin’s “offensive comments” about a Russian soldier in the Ukraine war were shared online.
Pro-war bloggers reportedly found Ostanin’s February performance controversial. During the show, he joked about being run over by a homeless man who had “hit a mine” and had been “skateboarding without legs for 20 years” in the Moscow metro.
Ostanin denied that his comments were meant to target a Ukraine war veteran. He argued that his words had been misinterpreted. On Tuesday, the Investigative Committee removed any reference to a Ukraine war veteran in their announcement about his arrest while he was attempting to cross the Russian border.
“According to investigators, the suspect made hostile comments about people who were injured or disabled during a public appearance in Moscow no later than March 15, 2025,” the committee said.
Ostanin could face up to six years in prison if convicted of inciting hatred or enmity.
Telegram news channels, allegedly connected to Belarusian security services, claimed that Belarusian border agents detained Ostanin and handed him over to Russian authorities. These reports have not been independently verified.
