Mega-YouTuber Bald and Bankrupt Allowed Back Into Ukraine

Russian Propagandist Tours Ukraine

Today, Benjamin Rich—better known as Bald and Bankrupt—posted a YouTube video about his latest trip to Ukraine. Rich had previously been denied entry into Ukraine after the war began, possibly due to suspicions that he was a Russian propagandist. That’s a fair assessment. He was also expelled from Russia. But before that, he was pressured into filming a pro-Putin propaganda video. What he wasn’t forced to do, however, was be in Russia, where his allegiances would be weaponized against him.

I don’t think much of Benjamin Rich. The few times I’ve interacted with him, he was cordial and professional. My issue is that he allowed himself to be used for propaganda purposes—that he continues to "both sides" the war in Ukraine. Let’s be clear: there is no “both sides.” There is one side. Russia started an illegal war that has led to over a million casualties. Fear of NATO—a defensive alliance—is not an excuse. There is no excuse. Not geopolitical realism. Not blind imperial ambition.

In Rich’s newest video, he interviews many Ukrainians in his usual entertaining style. At first glance, his commentary may seem charitable. He laments the suffering. He expresses goodwill toward Ukraine. But he never clearly calls out Putin. In fact, in one unsettling scene, a local man describes the torture chambers left behind in a formerly Russian-occupied area. The man suggests Putin and his body doubles should be imprisoned together to sort out who’s who—and even suggests Putin be tortured. Rich quickly shuts down the conversation.

Rich is compromised. He has personal ties to Russia—it’s well known. I won’t delve into it here because it’s a family matter for him. All we need to know is that Russia has leverage over him. We saw it in the propaganda video he made. We see it now in his Lex Fridman-esque insistence on "both-siding" the war.

Rich is a very good YouTuber. That's not a compliment.

Rich is very pro-Russian. That is not debatable.

Why Ukraine let him back into the country and was it a good idea? This is debatable.

If you want a lesson on how to appear as one thing but actually be another, watch this video. It's a masterclass. The CIA and FSB couldn't give you a better lesson.

PS… Pre war, I absolutely loved Bald and Bankrupt’s videos traveling throughout the former Soviet states. I too romanticized the Soviet times. The simplicity. The single-mindedness. The futility. But I put away those childish things when Russia became boldly and murderously imperial. I guess I don’t have a 4.3 million YouTube audience holding me hostage to my past (audience capture, look it up), nor a dictator who could literally hold parts of my past actually hostage.

---

Benjamin Cook continues to travel to, often lives in, and works in Ukraine, a connection spanning more than 14 years. He holds an MA in International Security and Conflict Studies from Dublin City University and has consulted with journalists on AI in drones, U.S. military technology, and related topics. He is co-founder of the nonprofit UAO, working in southern Ukraine. You can find Mr. Cook between Odesa, Ukraine; Charleston, South Carolina; and Tucson, Arizona.

Hate Subscriptions? Me too! You can support me with a one time contribution to my research at Buy Me a Coffee. https://buymeacoffee.com/researchukraine

Mr. Cook’s Substack: