War isn’t funny but humor helps Ukrainians cope with trauma
Associated PressKYIV, Ukraine — Because he’ll shortly be deployed as a soldier on the battlefields of Ukraine, Serhiy Lipko and Anastasia Zukhvala chose to marry first, like a growing number of couples being torn asunder by war with Russia. “Tragedies cannot and will never be the object of humor,” said Zukhvala, who also works as a stand-up comic, as she and Lipko hugged with the tenderness of newlyweds after his show and scooped up armfuls of bouquets, wondering aloud how they’d find space for them at home. “Our life now is made of paradoxes, and it can even be funny.” Ukraine’s most famous comedian is Volodymyr Zelenskyy, now the country’s president, elected in 2019. In the TV comedy series “Servant of the People,” the former stand-up comic and actor played a lovable high school teacher who accidentally becomes president — before he later actually became one for real. Yuliia Shytko, 29, said she felt in far higher spirits after chortling loudly with the rest of the crowd through Lipko and other comedians’ routines in the basement comedy club, the vast majority of their jokes revolving around war-related themes.
History of this topic
In this satire, Henry Naylor looks at the absurdity of war
Live Mint
Finding humor in Ukraine war? It’s (always) the Onion’s way
Associated Press
Finding humor in Ukraine war? It's (always) the Onion's way
The Independent
As bombs fall on Ukraine, memes ridicule Russian aggression
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