Russia: Stand-up comedian arrested for mocking ‘soldier who lost legs’ in Ukraine war

Russian law enforcement agencies have arrested a stand-up comedian who was publicly denounced for allegedly mocking Ukraine war invalids. He was reportedly trying to flee the country.

In a video clip from a stand-up performance posted on social media, comedian Artemy Ostanin joked about a supposed encounter with a legless beggar in the Moscow metro.

Investigators on Tuesday said that Ostanin had been arrested on suspicion of inciting hatred and debasing human dignity, an offence that carries a jail term of up to six years.

They opened a case against Ostanin at the weekend after a complaint was filed by Sergei Zaitsev, head of a self-styled public movement named Zov Naroda (Call of the People).

Zaitsev said that the beggar could be a casualty of Russia's war in Ukraine. 

“His jokes, mocking an invalid - essentially our soldier who lost his legs in the special military operation - cross all boundaries of morality and ethics,” Zaitsev added.

However, Ostanin, in an online interview, had denied the allegations. He said there was no word in the joke about the Ukraine war.

The comedian had been taken to Moscow for interrogation after being detained at a border crossing, said the investigators.

Reports on social media said Ostanin had been trying to enter neighbouring Belarus.

Russia: Stand-up comedian arrested, several artists fled 

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many writers, artists and directors have fled the country.

According to media reports, Boris Akunin (68), one of the country's most popular novelists, had been placed on a wanted list for breaking the law on “foreign agents”.

Akunin was put on a register of “extremists and terrorists” after condemning the invasion. He now lives in Britain, and his books have been banned in Russia.

Trump, Putin will hold call on Ukraine ceasefire

US President Donald Trump is to hold talks on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he looks to get buy-in on a US ceasefire proposal he hopes can create a pathway to ending Russia's devastating war on Ukraine.

The White House is expressing optimism that peace is within reach even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains sceptical that Putin is doing much beyond paying lip service to Trump as Russian forces continue to pound his country.

“It's a bad situation in Russia, and it's a bad situation in Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “What's happening in Ukraine is not good, but we're going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace. And I think we'll be able to do it.”