Not afraid to joke about Lukashenko, Navalny, or ‘lil’ Putin’: Russian standup comic Denis Chuzhoi’s third special gets dark and political, provoking an immediate police response

The Russian authorities have taken an interest in another standup comic. Denis Chuzhoi revealed last week that the police in his hometown started questioning his friends, immediately following the release of his third solo performance, which includes jokes about Alexey Navalny, corruption, and even President Putin. At Meduza's request, comedy critic Ashot Danelyan reviewed Chuzhoi's act, arguing that it's a worthy show, despite some obvious shortcomings. Generally, there are three avenues to success in Russian standup: television, alternative clubs (like Stand-up Club No 1, Outside Stand-up, and others), and the indie scene, where a comic builds a relationship directly with the audience. Denis Chuzhoi is traveling this latter route. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/11/15/not-afraid-to-joke-about-lukashenko-navalny-or-lil-putin