At the center of a new resonant discussion in Ukrainian social networks was singer Nastya Kamenskyi. In a fresh interview with Russian journalist Kateryna Hordieva, the artist talked about her experience switching to the Ukrainian language and explained the difficulties that arose as a physiological cause. According to her, she spoke exclusively in Ukrainian for about six months, after which she lost her voice and, as she claims, developed a “cyst.” “I switched to the Ukrainian language and spoke exclusively in Ukrainian for six months. And, you know, I developed a cyst and lost my voice. Honestly, I didn't even know what to do and canceled my concerts. And my psychologist told me: ‘Go back to Russian, your body doesn't accept it,’” Kamenskyi recounted. It was precisely this combination of “cyst — psychologist — return to Russian” that quickly became the basis for numerous ironic and sarcastic reactions.
The singer's dual stance on language
In the same interview, Kamenskyi emphasized that she considers the Ukrainian language beautiful and expressed the opinion that Ukraine should speak Ukrainian. At the same time, she added that she herself wants to decide independently in which language to communicate and sing. This dual message — on the one hand, an acknowledgment of the value of Ukrainian for the country, and on the other, an emphasis on personal choice and a “bodily” rejection of the language — became the main trigger for criticism from her colleagues and public figures.
Reaction from Anatoliy Anatolych
Among the first to react to the singer's statement was the host Anatoliy Anatolych (@anatoliyanatolich). He did not name Kamenskyi directly in his post, but published on his Instagram page a fragment of a video from her latest interview and compiled a collection of famous phrases that Russian-speaking public figures had previously used to explain their unwillingness or difficulties in switching to Ukrainian. “The crucified boy in his underwear... The Russian-speaking jaw... Don't torment Bulgakov... Please continue this fantastic list,” he wrote, effectively inserting the new “cyst” explanation into the long line of similar pretexts.
Sarcasm from “Kurgan and Agregat,” Natella Kirs, and Artur Adamov
The Ukrainian hip-hop group “Kurgan and Agregat” did not stay on the sidelines either. On Threads, the musicians ironically stated that Kamenskyi's video lifted their mood after a heavy night of shelling, and offered a sarcastic “treatment method.” “Wow! After a heavy night of shelling, I saw this video and it really lifted my mood. If any of you has a cyst, don't remove it and don't treat it in any way, just switch to the Russian language and everything will be fine,” their post reads. Ukrainian journalist and blogger Natella Kirs, in an address to “Lux FM,” where materials featuring the singer had previously been published, wrote: “Lux FM, you've developed a cyst. Let's make sure it doesn't sound anymore.” Radio host and content maker Artur Adamov, for his part, edited together on Instagram a selection of various explanations for “difficulties in switching to Ukrainian” and captioned it: “The evolution of reasons for ‘Why am I still communicating in Russian?’,” including Kamenskyi's latest statement in the “evolution.”
Contradictory data
Around the singer's statement there are several inconsistencies that are important to sort out. First, the medical and psychological part of the story — about the “cyst,” the loss of voice, and the psychologist's advice to “go back to Russian” because the “body doesn't accept” the language — is an exclusively personal claim by Kamenskyi and is not confirmed by any independent medical certificate or comment from the mentioned specialist; public interlocutors interpret this story not as a fact, but as a rhetorical pretext. Second, within the statement itself there is an internal contradiction: the singer simultaneously claims that Ukraine should speak Ukrainian and asserts her right to “decide for herself” in which language to sing and communicate, which proponents of a strict language standard consider incompatible positions. Finally, opposite assessments are heard on social networks: part of the audience perceives Kamenskyi's words as an honest acknowledgment of personal difficulties, while another part sees them as a continuation of the list of “fantastic” explanations that Anatolych and other authors ironically document.
Conclusion
Thus, Nastya Kamenskyi's statement about a “cyst” and a “bodily” rejection of the Ukrainian language has turned into a new round of public discussion about artists' language choice. The reactions of Anatoliy Anatolych, the group “Kurgan and Agregat,” Natella Kirs, and Artur Adamov, collected by Styler (an RBC-Ukraine entertainment project), show that in the Ukrainian media space such explanations are increasingly met with a sarcastic rather than sympathetic response, and the topic of “why am I still speaking Russian” continues to be supplemented with new “links in the evolution.”
