12 stand-up comedians

A real discovery for connoisseurs of stand-up

Arsen Puchkov is a trashy stand-up comedian from Zaporozhye, whose topics for jokes are very close and understandable to many. Today, Arsen lives in Kyiv and is actively expanding his audience. The public likes the light and simple style of the comedian's stories. This makes Arsen what is called "his" in any company. That is why for many, the stand-up of a witty humorist often becomes a pleasant discovery and even, they say, is addictive.

The topics for Arsen Puchkov's jokes are very diverse. His stories are about IT, barbershops, nervousness and anxiety, owners of iPhones, about parents and childhood, tattoos and greed. Arsen knows how and likes to laugh at himself and his problems, and this is winning.

Bohdan Pysmenko

City – Kharkiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Creative path

Bohdan Pysmenko is an experienced Ukrainian comedian, a TikTok star who has been in the genre for over 8 years. Today, the artist gives solo concerts and has a considerable army of fans. At the beginning of his creative path, he understood an important point: to be a good comedian, you need to be able to reflect on the events happening around you. Otherwise, an attentive audience will feel the falsity and it will be more difficult to gather the audience next time. At the same time, according to Bohdan, you should always be critical of your performances. If you were lucky enough to make the audience laugh today, this does not give the comedian the title of god of comedy. But it becomes an impetus for development.

The artist describes his feeling as a realized comedian as follows: “my soul has calmed down a little.” At the same time, Bohdan believes that being funny is very important for success. The first six months of performances were exploratory for the stand-up comedian – he tried to find topics and develop his own style. He was filled with ideas for creativity from films, TV series, and musical works. During his formation in humor, Bohdan participated in various projects. Some of them still remain a stage for the comedian’s performances. The audience could see the stand-up comedian on the air of the following formats and groups:

• Kharkiv stand-up club Split Comedy;
• "Comedy Club";
• podcast "Sex and Contents";
• "Dispersals from the vagrant" and others.

Artist's style and development

Bohdan Pysmenko is called the new star of Ukrainian stand-up, and his unique and inimitable style is defined as “brazen intelligentsia”. Recognition and popularity, successful solo concerts and collaboration with other humor colleagues are modern realities for the master of comedy. Bohdan’s work appeals to stand-up fans thanks to simple and understandable topics. The comedian talks about:

• tattoos and inflation;
• love, relationships with women and intimate experiences;
• childhood and tasteless sauces;
• job search, various everyday situations, and more.

Social activity

Together with other representatives of Ukrainian humor, Bohdan Pysmenko takes an active part in charity performances, the funds from which are transferred to the needs of our military. It is also necessary to note the special, therapeutic effect of the humor of the talented author on Ukrainians. For many, meetings with the comedian are indispensable in replenishing morale and helping to recharge as much as possible in conditions of constant stress.

Volodymyr Maslov

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Creative path

Volodymyr Maslov is a Ukrainian stand-up comedian, resident and star of the popular club “Brodyachy Standup”. He recently announced his new stage name. Now the comedian is officially Vova Butter. The artist runs his own YouTube channel, where he uploads videos of solo performances and projects created in collaboration with other representatives of the humor industry. One of the popular formats is the podcast “Night after Standup”, where Volodymyr, together with Dmitry Zakharchenko, communicates with other modern stars of the comedy genre. Alla Volkova, Yevhen Leshchenko, Oleksandr Kachura, Danil Povar, Bohdan Pysmenko and many other comedians who are leaders in views on the network have already visited the podcasters.

Artist's style and development

Volodymyr's style of humor is distinguished by its lightness and accuracy. At his concerts, the comedian jokes about various topics that are close and understandable to many Ukrainians:

• relationship with a girl and sex;
• the influence of the opinions of military experts on our lives;
• strange requests from a friend;
• the ability to calm down and much more.

The artist's creativity captivates with its bright self-irony and ability to notice interesting moments in ordinary, at first glance, situations. And the emotional richness of jokes and the comedian's boundless charisma always cause powerful feedback from the audience. Recognition and popularity are, of course, important components of success. However, it is the sincere, loud laughter of fans that is the most valuable award for Volodymyr.

Dan Che – style and charisma in action

Dan Che is a bright representative of Ukrainian stand-up, a resident of the Kyiv club "Brodyachy Stand Up", a participant of the Stand up for three format. The comedian's bright image and his taboo-free humor do their job flawlessly, drawing the attention of more and more stand-up fans to Dan's work.

What Dan Che is joking about

If we talk about the topics that the comedian touches on in his performances, then these are children and relationships in the family, sex, current problems of society and much more. Dan, for example, can delicately lay out all the advantages of the moment when you have "family" on you, or reflect with the audience on the harmfulness of filters on Instagram. Non-trivial topics and a generally restrained style of communication with the audience are components that create a unique image of a cool comedian.

Nikita Mekhanikov

City – Kharkiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Creative path

Mykyta Mekhanikov is a Ukrainian stand-up comedian, blogger, and resident of the comedy project “Plus-Minus Stand-Up.” Mykyta created and runs his own YouTube channel. There, the artist posts his performances at concerts with Ukrainian stand-up stars, as well as other original works that captivate comedy fans and win new fans. Mykyta also runs a comedy blog, where he shares interesting information and his own knowledge with the audience.

Mykyta Mekhanikov made his debut in the humor industry on the Kharkiv stage. When announcing the comedian's concerts, the organizers called the artist a favorite performer of Kharkiv residents. After all, his humor has a positive effect on the emotional health of fans and, in terms of its therapeutic properties, can be equated to the most effective antidepressants. Sometimes they even joke about Mykyta's creative style, saying that we still need to look for a person who would not laugh at the author's jokes. And, probably, it will be simply impossible to find such a listener.

Artist's style and development

Over 5 years of work in the comedy genre and blogging, Nikita has become a thought leader and role model for many fans. The comedian records humorous videos in which he reveals social issues and various interesting moments from his own experience and the lives of friends and acquaintances. Among the topics with which Mekhanikov enters the Internet space and takes to the stage during comedy live shows:

• the most common stereotypes;
• characteristics of one's own character;
• learning from others' mistakes;
• using Tinder;
• dating and relationships with a girl;
• obscene language and much more.

The audience is captivated by Mykyta's reels, which are called brilliant. And his subtle, everyday and very funny humor leaves no one indifferent. So there are still many tours, solo concerts and new bright projects ahead, with which the comedian will receive even wider recognition and popularity.

A comedian you've definitely seen somewhere

Oleksiy Priymachenko is a talented stand-up comedian, Tiktoker, finalist of the "Battles" show, screenwriter, master of improvisation, presenter on Sweet TV and just a bright creative personality.

Oleksii is originally from Zaporizhzhia, but recently moved to Kyiv (and this fact, by the way, is also one of the topics of the comedian's jokes). The humorist's popularity is growing rapidly today, and tickets for Oleksiy Pryimachenko's performances are selling out quite quickly. The comedian gathers the audience at the capital's venues and comes to his native Zaporizhzhia with concerts. Oleksii jokes about everything that happens in his life: about health (where can we go without jokes about teeth!), the complexity of the diet and a fight with a girl, about relationships and marriage, and much more. But you can best feel the atmosphere of the comedian's performances only at a live concert of Oleksiy Pryimachenko, so look for the nearest date and come!

A fan of an interesting life, who turns all his observations into jokes

Pavlo Pinchuk is a comedian originally from Dnipro, who today has already reached the level of soloists in the capital. Among the projects in which Pavlo took part are "Razgony" from "Vagabond Standup", Closed Mic, where experienced comedians present new and better material. Together with other comedians, Pavlo takes to the stage of comedy shows of an improvisational format, where bright artists joke without preparation on topics that are received from the audience simply during the concert.

Pavel's subtle humor is interesting because it fully reflects the comedian's attitude to non-trivial situations from seemingly everyday life. The comedian jokes about the absurdity of the modern world, about relationships, addictions and psychotherapists, about the impression he makes on girls and much more.

Ruslan Kolesnyk is the majestic and fair leader of the island of original comedy

Ruslan Kolesnyk is a talented Ukrainian stand-up comedian, a resident of the Brodyachii Stand Up club. For more than 5 years, Ruslan has been selflessly working in the field of modern Ukrainian comedy, seeding it with witty, sometimes unpredictable, but always brilliant and effective jokes. In return, he receives a lot of positive feedback from the public, who love to come to the author's stand-up shows and simply enjoy interesting adult humor and live communication with the comedian.

If you want to find out what the "restless legs syndrome" is or why it is sometimes so important to be able to hold a started walk-behind tractor - then come to Ruslan's stand-up!

Yevhen Leshchenko

City – Kharkiv (Ukraine)

Language – Ukrainian

Genre – stand-up, improvisation

Creative path

Yevgeny Leshchenko is a Ukrainian stand-up comedian, founder of the Comedy Club and Split Comedy Kharkiv, a resident of the Wandering Stand-up club. He felt the desire to work and develop in humor back in his school years. When the guy was asked what he wanted to become, the answer was: “A clown!” After entering university, the young man began to play in the KVN. However, he did not see any prospects in this: he wanted something else. Yevgeny began to watch translated classics of the humorous genre - videos of performances by American humor stars, comedians Eddie Murphy and George Carlin. It was then that he firmly decided to become a stand-up comedian.

Leshchenko's debut on stage in front of a live audience took place in 2017. The aspiring artist took part in "Open Microphone". It was scary, Yevhen lacked confidence. He created jokes for the performance literally in one day. However, the comedian's bright charisma worked, and the comedian gained invaluable experience. At that time, Yevhen worked as a bartender. Constant communication with people was liberating and gave him the understanding that future activities should be related to public activity. Over time, Yevhen's patience broke through. He quit and opened Split Comedy with other colleagues.

Artist's style and development

In a short time, Yevgeny became a real stand-up star and won wide popularity and recognition among fans of the comedy genre. Although at first, after moving to Kyiv, he did not dare to go on stage for a long time and simply watched the performances of other comedians. Gradually, offers to participate in concerts of the Kyiv "Underground Stand-Up", "Free Stand-Up" in Chernivtsi appear. The talented stand-up artist develops cooperation with other representatives of the humor industry and simultaneously gives solo concerts. The artist has visited many major cities of Ukraine, where he now has devoted fans of his work. A large tour with a solo program took place in 2021.

The audience of the comedian's fans is constantly expanding, attracting more and more Ukrainians of all ages to the ranks of connoisseurs of the author's humor. The audience is captivated by the subtle humor and emotional presentation of the material. Yevhen calls himself a "product of stand-up comedy" - a person who tries to be in stand-up in all its manifestations (working on stage and off it). The comedian entered the genre gradually. He started by getting acquainted with the Kharkiv hangout. And at first, the team did not perceive Yevhen very kindly. But the artist understood that stand-up is something he would prefer to do with full dedication. Therefore, he continued to actively develop in the genre. Among the topics that Yevhen Leshchenko jokes about:

• everyday life and everyday situations;
• relationships between women and men;
• personal adventures;
• the absurdity of the world around us and much more.

In general, the author is sure: there are no forbidden topics. There are unfunny jokes. The main thing is not to cross the boundaries of a person's personal space, then there will be no conflicts with oneself and with the audience. Yevhen also notes the great prospects of Ukrainian stand-up as such. In the early 2010s, the situation was quite uncertain, comedians were testing the audience, many were eliminated. The main center and platform for performances was YouTube. And this limited the opportunities for popularizing artists. However, today both the audience and the comedians themselves are more open to each other. Completely different humor comes in. This is how a kind of connection occurs: the audience chooses "their" among the comedians and carefully follows their activity on the network, comes to live concerts.

Social activity

Yevhen Leshchenko is one of those who at one time switched to Ukrainian and by his example pushed many others to do so. A native of Kharkiv, Yevhen recently moved to Kyiv, where he continued to work in his chosen field. During the full-scale invasion, comedians, like Ukrainian opinion leaders, are making every effort to strengthen our army. As part of their concerts, they hold charity auctions and collections for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Yevhen Leshchenko and other colleagues in the workshop do not allow Ukrainians to forget about the realities and call on them to actively donate and make any possible contribution to the Victory. At the same time, humor also plays an important role: it adds strength and replenishes the reserves of positivity, supporting every Ukrainian in a difficult time for everyone.