Anatoli Ulyanov

Anatoli Ulyanov (b.1984) is a Russian-speaking Ukrainian writer born in the Soviet Union and based in Los Angeles. He is best known as an editor for some of Ukraine's most controversial media outlets, including Proza, Looo.ch, Sho, and DADAKINDER, where he writes about culture and politics. His unconventional opinions on identity, class, sexuality, and history have made him a target of criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. After being persecuted for "propaganda of homosexuality," "threatening public morals," and criticizing the authorities in Ukraine and Russia, he was forced to seek political refuge. Since 2011, he has resided in the US and re-educated himself in a diverse working-class environment that transformed his democratic politics. As a visual artist and dissident in exile, Anatoli is passionate about exploring the human condition under capitalism and finding ways to transgress beyond the status quo. Working with subjects of ex/inclusion, diversity, intersectionality, and borders, he praises outcasts, misfits, and underrepresented communities as "carriers of revolutionary horizons." Despite his criticism of neoliberal hegemony and traditional nationalism, Anatoli supports Ukraine's struggle against Russia's full-scale invasion. At the same time, he remains vocal about the role of Western elites in global affairs and declines to join the boycott of "everything Russian" because he believes it fortifies Putinism, harms Ukrainians, and leads to genocidal politics.