Stand-up comedian apologizes after detention for his joke about disabled person

During his interrogation, Artemy Ostanin, a stand-up comedian from Yeysk, apologized for his joke about a disabled person without legs.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that a criminal case against Artemy Ostanin was instituted after his performance in which the stand-up comedian joked about a disabled person who left his legs after stepping on a mine. Investigators considered the words of Artemy Ostanin as an insult to a participant of the special military operation (SMO), but the stand-up comedian himself claims that he joked about an ordinary beggar. Artemy Ostanin was detained while trying to leave Russia.

“It was not my goal to insult anyone, hurt anyone’s feelings, threaten with violence, and much less call for hostility towards any social group,” Artemy Ostanin stated in a video posted on the Telegram channel of the Chief Investigating Department for Moscow of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

During his interrogation, Artemy Ostanin had his hair cut short, although earlier, he had performed with dreadlocks, the “OVD-Info”* human rights project reported.

Let us remind you that during his performance, Artemy Ostanin called the disabled man a “legless skater” and said that the man “stepped on a mine.” However, the stand-up comedian did not mention the special military operation (SMO) or the Russian militaries, the “Kommersant” reports.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.