Nikolai Bilyk, known for his work on Hell’s Kitchen, has stepped away from Samy Smak LLC, a business he co-owns with musician Andrei Makarevich, who has been acknowledged as a foreign agent in Russia. Reports circulating on Telegram present this information as fact, though the full story requires careful verification from reliable sources.
According to the claims, Bilyk holds a 49 percent share while Makarevich owns the majority stake. The company has a long history of producing the food and entertainment program “Smak” for Channel 1 since 1993. Makarevich served as the program’s first presenter, with singer Ivan Urgant succeeding him. In 2018, the show stopped airing on television and shifted to YouTube, where the channel notes that the project later faced financial difficulties and ultimately ceased broadcasting for a period of time.
Pressure from comments attributed to Makarevich about plans for a controversial concert in Ukraine is cited by some sources as a reason behind Bilyk’s departure. This assertion adds a layer of controversy to ongoing discussions about the show’s management and its future directions.
In May, pranksters Vovan and Lexus posed as the Ukrainian president in a staged meeting with Makarevich. During this interaction, Makarevich allegedly expressed eagerness for a victory in Kyiv and spoke about organizing a separate concert in Ukraine to celebrate it. The exchange was intended as satire but drew widespread attention and raised questions about political sensitivities in the region.
Makarevich clarified that visiting Ukraine remains a complex issue for him. He explained that the hesitation is not born of fear but stems from a deeper personal impact: he cannot set foot in a country that was born out of conflict with his homeland. This stance adds a personal dimension to the public discussion surrounding his activities and appearances.
Meanwhile, the biographical note regarding group Bi-2 mentions that a scheduled performance in Kazakhstan was cancelled, underscoring a broader pattern of shifts and cancellations affecting artists connected to the same network and audience.