Why First Channel Removed the 'Evening Urgant' Program from Air

First Channel replaced the 'Evening Urgant' program, which was set to air on February 25, with the political talk show 'Great Game'. This change in the channel's schedule has drawn attention from the journalistic community, especially after Ivan Urgant posted a black square on his Instagram the day before, captioned with 'Fear and Pain. No to War.' The scriptwriter of 'Evening Urgant', Alexander Gudkov, alongside other cultural figures, has criticized and continues to criticize the onset of Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

A representative of First Channel told RBK that the 'Evening Urgant' show was not scheduled for the last few days due to the weekend, and the latest replacement is 'related to important social and political events.' 'Ivan Urgant is certainly continuing to work at First Channel,' the channel's representative added.