- December 21, 2025
- 3:56 pm
- Israel
In 2014, Sergey Mikhalok actively supported the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, which caused a negative reaction and a series of bans from Russia and Belarus. In 2015, the artist received Ukrainian citizenship and a residence permit. In 2020, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine (2020).
In February 2026, concerts of “Lyapis Trubetskoy” — a Belarusian punk rock band whose history has long ceased to be just a musical biography — will take place in Israel. This is not a nostalgic tour or a “return for the hits.” These are performances by a band for whom the stage has become a form of civic expression, and music a way to speak about war, freedom, and personal responsibility.
For Israel, these concerts are a special event. On stage is a group that did not remain neutral, did not rewrite its history, and did not pretend that “everything is complicated.”
From Minsk 1989 to the point of no return
The band “Lyapis Trubetskoy” was formed in 1989 in Minsk.
Its leader is Sergey Mikhalok, frontman and lyricist, who for decades has defined the direction and tone of the band.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, “Lyapis” was associated with ironic ska-punk, grotesque, and satire on post-Soviet reality. But by the end of the 2000s, the music began to change. Irony was leaving, replaced by harsh, direct lyrics about power, violence, lies, and responsibility.
Bans in Belarus and the final break
In the spring of 2011, the musicians were included in the list of banned cultural figures in Belarus.
All planned concerts of the band in their homeland were canceled.
This moment became the point of no return. “Lyapis Trubetskoy” ceased to be part of “permissible culture” and finally found itself on the other side of the system. For listeners, the band became a symbol of dissent. For the authorities, a problem they tried to solve with bans.
2014: Disbandment and new form
In 2014, the band officially ceased to exist, splitting into two projects:
- BRUTTO — with Sergey Mikhalok,
- Trubetskoy — with vocalist Pavel Bulatnikov.
At that time, it looked like the end of the story. But events in Ukraine showed: it was a pause, not an end.
Ukraine as a key point in the biography
Since 2014, Ukraine has taken a central place in Sergey Mikhalok’s life.
He openly supported the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, without resorting to cautious formulations. This caused a sharp reaction from Russia and Belarus — bans, pressure, attempts at isolation.
In 2015, Mikhalok received Ukrainian citizenship and a residence permit, and in 2020, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine. For Ukrainian society, this was not a formality, but a recognition of his position and contribution.
How “Lyapis Trubetskoy” songs began to be perceived in Ukraine
After 2014, not only did the attitude towards Mikhalok as an artist change in Ukraine, but also the perception of “Lyapis Trubetskoy” music itself. His songs ceased to be just concert tracks and became part of a living historical context.
Importantly: “Lyapis” was not appointed a symbol from above.
His songs were claimed by the street.
From the stage to Maidan
During the Euromaidan, the composition “Warriors of Light” went beyond the stage. It was heard:
- on the barricades,
- at rallies,
- in the volunteer environment,
- in protest videos.
The song was not written specifically for Ukraine, but it hit the nerve of the time. From that moment in the Ukrainian context, it became not just a song of the band, but a song of the era.
Russian-language compositions — “Capital,” “I Believe,” “Harry” — began to be perceived differently: as anti-imperial and anti-systemic, regardless of the language.
2022: War and the revival of “Lyapis”
After February 24, 2022, against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the project “Lyapis Trubetskoy” was revived.
The return of the band was immediately marked as anti-war and charitable. Concert activities became a form of support for Ukraine — not declarative, but practical.
Support for Ukraine and the Armed Forces: not words, but actions
Support for Ukraine from Sergey Mikhalok and “Lyapis Trubetskoy” after 2022 has a systematic and public character.
From the first days of the war, Mikhalok took a firm anti-war stance.
On his YouTube channel BRUTTO NOSTRA, he published a series of video messages:
- to Belarusian military personnel,
- to the citizens of Belarus,
- to Russian musicians.
“Belarusians.
The cowardly and treacherous Lukashenko, having soiled himself, handed over our country to Putin, who has gone mad. These two bastards are using the territory of Belarus to attack brotherly Ukraine.It is from our Belarus that tanks are coming, missiles are flying towards the brotherly people. And now something even more terrible is happening — they want to send our soldiers here to certain death, who understand nothing.
They are told about some Nazis, about some damn ‘duty.’ They will all die here because the Ukrainian army, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is the strongest army in the world.
Everyone who comes here will lie in the ground and then burn in hell…”
In these messages, he spoke directly about how Belarus is being used as a springboard for attacking Ukraine, and participation in the war will lead to the death of soldiers misled by propaganda.
Direct support for the Armed Forces
Sergey Mikhalok personally performed for Ukrainian soldiers:
- met with Armed Forces fighters in Kyiv,
- performed “Warriors of Light” for them, often in the Ukrainian version “Voiny Svitla”,
- did this outside concert halls — in a live, human format.
These episodes were recorded on video and became part of the real chronicle of the war. For the military, it was not a concert as a show, but a gesture of solidarity.
Charitable tours
After the band’s revival, the musicians conducted:
- a large-scale European tour,
- then a tour in the USA and Canada.
These tours were explicitly positioned as tours in support of Ukraine. Part of the funds was directed to humanitarian and volunteer initiatives. The concerts were actively supported by the Ukrainian diaspora.
Ukrainian versions of songs
A principled step was the official rethinking of songs in the Ukrainian language.
The band released Ukrainian versions of:
- “Voiny Svitla”,
- “Yevpatoriya”,
- “Harry”.
The translations were done by Serhiy Zhadan. These versions were officially published and became part of concert programs. In the Ukrainian context, they are perceived not as an “adaptation,” but as a equal form of expression.
…
Mikhalok and Belarus
Sergey Mikhalok’s relationship with Belarus is a story of principled break with the regime and solidarity with society, not a conflict over tours or censorship. This break was formalized long before 2020 and became final long before the full-scale war against Ukraine.
From popular artist to banned
In the 1990s and early 2000s, “Lyapis Trubetskoy” was one of the most popular bands in Belarus. The turning point came in the late 2000s when the lyrics became harsh and politically direct.
In 2011, the band was included in the list of banned cultural figures in Belarus.
All concerts in their homeland were canceled. This was a systemic ban, effectively closing the band’s path back into the official cultural space of the country.
Break with the Lukashenko regime
From this moment, Mikhalok’s relationship with the Belarusian state became irreconcilable. He did not seek compromises and openly criticized the Lukashenko regime, calling it authoritarian and betraying the country’s sovereignty.
At the same time, his position always clearly distinguished between:
- Belarusian society,
- and the Belarusian regime.
The criticism was directed against the authorities, not against the country or its people.
2020: Support for protests
During the protests in 2020, Mikhalok publicly:
- supported the protesters,
- condemned the violence of the security forces,
- supported the symbols of the democratic movement — the white-red-white flag and the “Pahonia” coat of arms.
He did not enter political structures, remaining in the role of a cultural voice of resistance.
After 2022
After the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Mikhalok took an even tougher stance. He spoke directly that:
- the territory of Belarus is used for attacking Ukraine,
- the Lukashenko regime is responsible for complicity in the war.
On the BRUTTO NOSTRA channel, he recorded video messages to Belarusians and military personnel urging them not to participate in the war and not to become accomplices in crimes.
How he is perceived by the opposition
In the Belarusian opposition environment and diaspora, Mikhalok is perceived as:
- one of the most famous cultural opponents of the regime,
- as a person who did not change his position under pressure,
- as an artist who paid the price of exile and bans.
He consciously stays out of formal politics, considering his format to be culture as a form of resistance.
Sergey Mikhalok is in strong opposition to the Lukashenko regime, consistently supports the democratic movement in Belarus, and remains one of the symbols of cultural resistance to Belarusian autocracy.
What will be heard in Israel
The concerts of “Lyapis Trubetskoy” in Israel in February 2026 are built around the main concert repertoire of the band, well known to the audience from different periods of its history.
According to information from the poster and organizers, the program is expected to include such songs as:
“Warriors of Light”,
“Capital”,
“Au”,
“I Believe”,
as well as other well-known compositions of the band.
The concert format traditionally involves a tight pace, minimal pauses, and high energy from the stage — without show elements, but with an emphasis on live sound and direct contact with the audience.
Why this is important for Israel
For the Israeli audience, these concerts are not just a musical event.
It is a meeting with a band that speaks about war, the price of silence, responsibility, and choice — topics well understood by Israeli society.
“Lyapis Trubetskoy” in Israel in February 2026 is not nostalgia and not a “return for the hits.”
It is live punk rock with history, position, and confirmed actions.
Dates, time, and venues of concerts in Israel
Haifa
February 19, 2026
Thursday, starting at 20:00
Club Beat
Sderot Ha-Nasi, 124
Tel Aviv
February 20, 2026
Friday, starting at 20:00
“Reading-3” Hall
North Tel Aviv Port
Ha-Ta’arucha St., 3
“Lyapis Trubetskoy” always works to the limit, without pauses and smoothed edges.
Tickets – https://showman.co.il/e/lyapis-trubetskoy-2026/
NANews — a private opinion on events, culture, and music that truly matter.
