---
title: "Depriving Potap of the Merited Artist Title: Zelenskyy Appeals to Prime Minister and SBU"
description: "President Volodymyr Zelenskyy forwarded a petition to strip Oleksii Potapenko of his merited artist title to the Prime Minister and SBU for lawful review."
date: 2026-09-29T09:04:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/depriving-potap-merited-artist-title
tags: [potap, zelenskyy, sbu, ukraine, news]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Depriving Potap of the Merited Artist Title: Zelenskyy Appeals to Prime Minister and SBU

![Oleksii Potapenko (Potap) may lose the title of Merited Artist](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/29/lishenie-potapa-zvaniya-zasluzhennogo-artista/lishenie-potapa-zvaniya-zasluzhennogo-artista-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The petition to strip Potap of his title gathered 25,895 votes.
- Zelenskyy forwarded the appeal to PM Koretskyi and acting SBU Head Poklad.
- Deprivation of a state award requires a court verdict or sanction procedure.
- Potap received the title of Merited Artist of Ukraine in 2020.

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.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Лишение Потапа звания заслуженного артиста: Зеленский обратился к премьеру и СБУ](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/people/pozbavlennya-potapa-zvannya-zasluzhenogo-1790672458.html) - Исходная новость Styler об ответе президента на петицию.
- [Зеленский поручил Корецкому и Покладу проработать лишение Потапа звания заслуженного артиста](https://ukranews.com/news/1177711-zelenskij-poruchil-koretskomu-i-pokladu-rassmotret-vopros-o-lishenii-potapa-zvaniya-zasluzhennogo) - Подтверждение имен чиновников, которым направлена петиция.
- [Зеленский поручил Кабмину и СБУ рассмотреть лишение Потапа звания "Заслуженный артист Украины"](https://strana.today/news/512990-zelenskij-otvetil-na-petitsiju-o-lishenii-potapa-zvanija-zasluzhennoho-artista-.html) - Подтверждение деталей процедуры лишения звания через Кабмин и СБУ.
- [Зеленский направил на рассмотрение петицию о лишении Потапа звания «Заслуженный артист Украины»](https://ua.news/ru/ukraine/zelenskii-napraviv-na-rozgliad-petitsiiu-shchodo-pozbavlennia-potapa-zvannia-zasluzhenii-artist-ukrayini) - Подтверждение количества голосов (25 895) и деталей петиции.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Has Potap been stripped of the Merited Artist of Ukraine title?
**A:** No, the president did not strip him of the award automatically, but sent the petition for processing to the Cabinet of Ministers and the SBU.

### Q: How many votes did the petition to strip Potap of his title get?
**A:** The electronic petition gathered 25,895 votes out of the required 25,000.

### Q: Who must review the issue of revoking the award?
**A:** The issue was forwarded to Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi and acting SBU Head Oleksandr Poklad.