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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
For over 12 years, the main chant of Ukrainian fans has been "Putin is a d*ckhead." It originated during the events of the Crimean occupation.
Today, 7 October, the head of the Kremlin, Putin, celebrates his birthday. In honor of this “holiday,” 24 The Channel tells the history of the emergence of the main football hit of all Ukrainian fans and beyond.
How the chant "Putin – d*ckhead" arose.
The beloved chant of Ukrainian fans was born 30 March 2014 year during the joint march of Metalist and Shakhtar ultras. Various fan groups in Ukraine long fought with each other. However, during the events of the Revolution of Dignity in 2013 – 2014 years, fans of all Ukrainian clubs united.
Both Metalist fans and Shakhtar fans previously clashed with Kyiv Dynamo. In Kharkiv ultras circles there existed a chant directed at the head of the Kyiv club.
At the end of March 2014 year, Yanukovych had already fled to Russia, and Putin began the occupation of Crimea. And during a joint march of Metalist and Shakhtar fans, a chant about the head of the Kremlin was born entirely by chance, since both Surkis and Putin share a similar phonetic pattern.
The first performance of the hit "Putin – d*ckhead" (the video contains explicit language)
The chant went viral. A video of its performance spread quickly on the Internet, turning into a real cultural meme and a well-known slogan. This phrase was later printed on souvenir goods, such as floor mats and toilet paper.
When the chant began to be performed abroad.
Of course, initially the theme was picked up by fans of other Ukrainian clubs, in particular Dynamo and Lviv’s Carpathians. Soon the fan charge spread to Georgia and Lithuania, where, to put it mildly, there is not a very favorable attitude toward the Russian leader.
Even during a match in Tbilisi in September 2026 year, Georgians chanted the hit that originated 12 years ago.
Chant performed by Dinamo Tbilisi fans (video contains explicit language)
Interestingly, the chant later appeared beyond stadiums. The slogan was used during street protests, in political and cultural spheres. Fans of the Ukrainian national team took the chant with them to France for Euro 2016.
Ukrainian and English fans perform the chant at Euro 2016 (video contains explicit language)
And it was performed not only by Ukrainians there. For example, fans of the blue-yellow team joined in with the English, together charging the hit in the streets of France.
Where the authors of the chant are now.
There isn’t a single specific author for the chant. It was energized by Metalist fans during a joint march with Shakhtar fans. In March 2014 year Donetsk was not yet occupied, but the Crimean occupation was already underway and the situation in eastern Ukraine was heating up.
The slogan spread quickly / Photo from open sources.
In the spring of 2014 year, ATO began, and among other things the first volunteers to the Armed Forces of Ukraine included many football ultras. Among them were many from Shakhtar, whose home Russia had literally occupied, and Metalist, as Russia also tried to impose its rule in Kharkiv.
Of course, fans from all Ukrainian football clubs joined them. The chant "Putin – d*ckhead" became a powerful sprout of patriotic feelings and a sense of duty to defend the integrity of the state.
What is happening now with Shakhtar and Metalist.
The war in Donbas forced Shakhtar to leave its home city in the spring 2014 year. Yet the club did not collapse and remains at a high level. The miners are current champions of the Ukrainian Premier League and represent Ukraine in the Champions League.
The march of Metalist and Shakhtar fans / Screenshot from a video.
Metalist’s fate turned out a bit differently. Kharkiv remained under Ukrainian control. However, in 2016 year Kharkiv’s Metalist disappeared from the football map, as it belonged to pro-Russian oligarch Serhiy Kurchenko, who is close to Yanukovych.
True, the previous club owner Oleksandr Yaroslavsky later revived it. However, due to his legal troubles (when he hit a person with a car), he fled Ukraine and stopped overseeing Metalist’s affairs.
Because of the security situation in Kharkiv, Metalist now plays in Uzhhorod. The team competes in the first league, and its lineup features mostly young trainees from the Kharkiv club’s academy.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Як народилась кричалка "Путін х*йло": цікаві факти про головний футбольний хіт України". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
