Ukrainian stand-up comedy has seen a renaissance during the war

Looking back, it was undoubtedly reckless. Russian tanks still menaced neighbouring towns. Locals were missing, dead or being held and tortured. And if Russian troops did manage to enter Sumy, just 30km from the eastern border, they would surely have no trouble identifying the ringleader. But for Felix Redka (pictured), a local comedian, organising a stand-up show on the 24th day of the Russian occupation of Sumy was more than just an act of defiance. It was fun. “When else would I have the opportunity to do stand-up in a nuclear bunker?” he says.Mr Redka’s gig in March 2022, watched by 150 nervous locals in real time and millions of online viewers since, marked a watershed. Anton Zhytlove, a comedian and businessman in Kyiv, says the gig gave an “emotional charge” to others still sheltering underground. “We didn’t know if we could joke or not,” he says. “Felix showed us a way to resist.” In the weeks that followed, Ukrainian stand-up comedy boomed. Mr Zhytlove will open his third new venue in Kyiv later this month, one of at least six in the capital alone. Belief, more than cashflow, is what is powering the Ukrainian expansion, he says. “It is also the best way to ensure you get a gig.”