2026 proved to be a challenging year for Ukrainian artists regarding road safety: within a few months, several well-known personalities were involved in accidents — singer Olya Polyakova, comedian Anatoliy Anatolich, Natalya Mogilevskaya, Shumei, and Anastasia Tkachenko. For some, the collisions were limited to vehicle damage, while others required medical attention. Below is a chronology of the most resonant traffic accidents involving stars recorded this year.
Olya Polyakova’s Accident: Daughter’s Injury and Conflict at the Scene
On August 19, Olya Polyakova, along with her eldest daughter Maria, was involved in a car accident on the way to Odesa. Another vehicle crashed into the singer’s car, causing their vehicle to fly into a ditch. Maria suffered a nose injury and was handed over to medical personnel. Polyakova immediately posted the aftermath of the accident on social media. Following the collision, a conflict arose between the artist and the driver of the other vehicle: Polyakova approached the car believed to be involved in the accident and began filming the man with her phone, but he knocked the smartphone out of her hands.
No Injuries: Tkachenko and Shumei
On August 18, Ukrainian comedienne Anastasia Tkachenko was involved in a car accident. The accident frightened the artist greatly, however, she did not sustain any injuries, and according to her, her car also remained undamaged. Tkachenko thanked her loved ones for their support, noting that family and friends immediately came to see her and called to inquire about her condition. On August 9, Shumei (Oleg Shumei) was involved in a car accident in Kyiv together with his team. The car was being driven by a driver, while the artist’s team members were in the cabin. Due to weather conditions, the car skidded, ending up on the roadside and sustaining damage: the front part of the vehicle suffered the most, and the guardrail was also damaged. All participants remained unharmed, and Shumei personally spoke about the situation as he began receiving calls and messages about the accident.
Black Ice and a Retro Convertible: Mogilevskaya and Anatolich
On February 2, 2026, Natalya Mogilevskaya was involved in a car accident due to difficult weather conditions — the cause was black ice on the road. Footage from the scene showed three vehicles with mechanical damage. The singer herself was not injured but urged drivers to be extremely cautious due to slippery roads. Notably, the accident occurred on a symbolic date for Ukrainians — February 2, the anniversary of the death of musician Andriy Kuzmenko (Kuzma Skryabin), who died 11 years ago on this day as a result of a collision between a car and a milk tanker. On July 22 in Kyiv on Bohatyrska Street, Anatoliy Anatolich was involved in a car accident. The host was driving his retro BMW convertible when, in heavy traffic, he collided with a Skoda standing in the middle of the road. According to Anatolich, the Skoda driver did not put out a hazard sign or turn on the hazard lights, which meant he did not have time to go around the car in time. The left side of the retro car was damaged — there were scratches and dents on the fender and bumper, and there were red paint marks from the other car on the bodywork. No one was injured, and for Anatolich, this was his first accident in 20 years of driving experience.
Contradictory Data
Versions regarding the details of Olya Polyakova’s accident differ across various publications. In a summary article by Styler, it is stated that the collision occurred “on the way to Odesa,” whereas a number of media outlets (TSN, Obozrevatel, Gazeta) emphasize in their headlines that “it has become known where the accident actually took place,” indicating an initial discrepancy in information about the exact location of the accident. Furthermore, the Styler text explicitly notes that it has not been finally established who exactly was driving the other vehicle and who is the culprit of the accident, although a conflict arose at the scene with the driver whom the artist considered involved in the collision. Thus, until the official conclusions of law enforcement agencies, the question of the culprit and the exact circumstances of Polyakova’s accident remains open.
Thus, road accidents in 2026 affected a wide circle of Ukrainian celebrities — from singers to comedians. In most cases, the accidents passed without serious consequences for health, however, the case with Olya Polyakova and her daughter became the most resonant due to the child’s injury and the public conflict at the scene of the accident.
