---
title: "\"With a Russian core, not a Ukrainian one\": Tsukrenko criticizes Potap, Nastya, and Dorn"
description: "Albert Tsukrenko has criticized Potap, Nastya Kamenskykh, and Ivan Dorn, accusing them of promoting post-Soviet cultural themes that pull Ukrainians back into Russia's sphere of influence."
date: 2026-10-13T17:34:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/tsukrenko-criticizes-potap-nastya-dorn
tags: [potap, nastya-kamenskykh, ivan-dorn, tsukrenko, ukrainian-culture, russia-influence]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "With a Russian core, not a Ukrainian one": Tsukrenko criticizes Potap, Nastya, and Dorn

![Albert Tsukrenko criticizes Ukrainian artists](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/13/tsukrenko-kritika-potap-nastya-dorn/tsukrenko-kritika-potap-nastya-dorn-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Tsukrenko accused artists of supporting Russian cultural influence.
- Public disappointment stems from stars' positions on their Russian-language repertoire.

Musician, journalist, and member of the band "Kharmerman Znyshchuye Virusy" Albert Tsukrenko has sharply criticized several Ukrainian artists, including the duo Potap and Nastya Kamenskykh, as well as Ivan Dorn. In a recent episode of the "TSE BAZA" podcast, he stated that their activities contribute to returning the Ukrainian audience to a common post-Soviet cultural field dominated by Russian themes. According to Tsukrenko, such creative projects are oriented toward consumers who are nostalgic for a "pseudo-multiculturalism" with a Russian core.

Tsukrenko emphasized that artists who continue to work in this style effectively impose a contrived post-Soviet community on society, which the musician himself finds unacceptable. He noted that while he does not deny these performers the right to self-identify as Ukrainians, their political and cultural views fundamentally diverge from his own. "They are Ukrainians, but not the kind whose position I feel close to," he stated, adding that he disagrees with attempts to exclude individuals from national identity based on their behavior or creative choices.

### Criticism of the social and political stance of artists

The discussion surrounding the activities of Potap and Nastya Kamenskykh has encompassed not only cultural aspects but also their behavior since the beginning of the full-scale war. People's Deputy and political scientist Mykola Davydyuk, in the same podcast, characterized their performances, specifically past appearances on stage in Russia, as part of a "targeted policy" of influence. In turn, journalist Dmytro Gordon, commenting on the couple's actions, called their attempts to adapt to new realities "clumsy," while emphasizing that he does not consider them Russian agents of influence.

An additional wave of criticism was caused by the artists' unsuccessful attempts to rehabilitate their image. Actress Inna Prykhodko emphasized in an interview that Potap's questionable statements about his activities in the Spanish territorial defense and unsuccessful music releases only damaged his reputation. Journalist Alina Dorotyuk also noted that Nastya Kamenskykh became a disappointment for her, particularly due to the singer's reluctance to fully abandon her Russian-language repertoire in favor of Ukrainian-language, which contradicts public expectations in times of war.

### Contradictory data

In the public sphere, there are various assessments of the legitimacy of the criticism leveled at the artists. While Tsukrenko and Dorotyuk focus on the "cultural expansion" of post-Soviet themes, other experts and colleagues try to distinguish between "errors in public conduct" and "malicious actions." Tsukrenko himself admits that the right to self-identify as a Ukrainian is inviolable, despite the fact that the conservative part of society or political figures (e.g., Ivano-Frankivsk Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv) are inclined to deprive those of "Ukrainianness" whose appearance or views do not meet their standards.

Thus, the question of whether the work of these artists is a conscious instrument of Russian propaganda or just an attempt to retain an old audience remains a subject of heated debate. One thing is clear: the expectations of Ukrainian society toward show business representatives have changed significantly, and any attempt to return to old formats meets resistance from a significant part of the media community.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- ["С российским стержнем, а не украинским": Цукренко раскритиковал Потапа, Настю и Дорна](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/people/z-rosiyskim-strizhnem-ukrayinskim-tsukrenko-1791907595.html) - Основной источник прямой речи и контекста высказываний Цукренко.
- [Епатажний Альберт Цукренко - найсексуальніший митець України. Переможці премії "Золотий ліфон"](https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/cx2r7ejr4r3o) - Подтверждение экспертного статуса Цукренко как деятеля культуры.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why does Tsukrenko criticize Potap and Nastya?
**A:** The musician believes their projects contribute to dragging the Ukrainian audience back into a post-Soviet cultural sphere centered on Russian influence.

### Q: Does Tsukrenko consider them Ukrainians?
**A:** He acknowledges their right to Ukrainian self-identification but stresses he strongly disagrees with their political and cultural views.