President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to a public initiative regarding the deprivation of famous producer and performer Oleksii Potapenko of the honorary title "Merited Artist of Ukraine". The head of state did not make a unilateral decision to revoke the award, but officially forwarded the relevant appeal for detailed review to the Prime Minister and the leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine. This step came in response to an e-petition published on August 28, which surpassed the required threshold of 25,000 votes within the established timeframe, gathering a total of 25,895 signatures.
Context of the Petition and Arguments of the Initiators
The text of the e-petition, initiated by citizen Kateryna Taran, contained a number of complaints regarding the artist's public activities. In particular, the author of the appeal referred to the use of Russian-language cultural products, the musician's controversial public statements regarding the Ukrainian language, his previous contacts and cooperation with representatives of the Russian show business, and professional activities outside of Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion. It should be emphasized that all these points are the position and argumentation of the petition's author, rather than facts of offenses officially established by state bodies or a court.
Procedural Mechanisms and Next Steps
Responding to the citizens' appeal on September 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy detailed the legal grounds for applying such sanctions. The honorary title "Merited Artist of Ukraine" is a state award, and deprivation of it is provided for by law only in strictly defined cases—for example, on the basis of a court conviction or through special personal sanction mechanisms. The Cabinet of Ministers and the SBU can act as initiators for introducing sanction measures if there is sufficient evidence and justification. This is why the president instructed Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi and acting SBU Head Oleksandr Poklad to examine the issue within their competence.
Controversial Data
It is important to note certain debatable points surrounding the initiative and the artist's status. On the one hand, the authors of the petitions and a section of the public insist on the immediate revocation of the title awarded to Potap back in 2020, appealing to the moral and ethical aspects of public figures' reputations during wartime. On the other hand, the legal procedure requires strict formalization of facts, and the status of merited artist cannot be canceled by a simple presidential decree without going through all bureaucratic, judicial, or sanction procedures provided for by the laws of Ukraine. In addition, other similar petitions against the artist continue to collect signatures on the official portal of the head of state, but as of September 29, 2026, they have not yet crossed the necessary barrier of 25,000 votes.
