Petition to strip Potap of the title of “Honored Artist of Ukraine” received 25 thousand votes

A petition calling for the removal of the honorary title of Honored Artist of Ukraine from Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Potapenko, known under the stage name Potap, has garnered the 25,000 votes needed for consideration by the president.

The petition was registered on the president’s website on August 28. As of September 3, it had exceeded the established threshold of 25,000 signatures.

Why is Potap being proposed to be stripped of the title

The authors of the petition believe that the public activities of Oleksiy Potapenko do not correspond to the status of a person who holds a state award of Ukraine.

Among the claims set out in the petition are the use and popularization of a Russian-language cultural product, certain public statements regarding the Ukrainian language, cooperation and creation of content with citizens of the Russian Federation and representatives of Russian show business, as well as the artist’s residence and professional activities outside of Ukraine.

The author of the appeal asks to provide a legal assessment of the above facts and instruct the competent state bodies to conduct their verification.

If the grounds provided for by law are established, the president is urged to initiate the deprivation of Potapenko of the state award – the title of “Honored Artist of Ukraine”.

How Potap reacted

Potap himself has already commented on the appearance of the petition. The performer stated that he is ready to voluntarily renounce the title if it really brings benefits.

At the same time, the artist called not to turn the situation into a “witch hunt” and emphasized the need for unity in wartime.

Andriy Khlyvnyuk, a military man and leader of the Boombox band, also joined the discussion. He stated that the issue of revising state titles and awards for cultural figures would still have to be resolved, and added that he himself would not mind renouncing the title of Honored Artist.

When Potap received the title

The title of “Honored Artist of Ukraine” was awarded to Oleksiy Potapenko by President Volodymyr Zelensky in June 2020.

Now, after the petition has collected the necessary 25 thousand votes, the appeal must be considered by the president.