In times of great upheaval, society tends to demand quick solutions. But these may not always be the best solutions. As Ukraine dealt with the global pandemic and then Russia’s invasion, the answer to the country’s suffering and uncertainty gradually acquired a name: Spartak Subbota.
In the past 15 months, Ukrainian psychotherapists have had to deal with the unprecedented need for professional support among victims of Russia’s war. Subbota, a beefy, tattooed blogger, has exemplified the popular approach.
He has built an immense following – just shy of half a million on YouTube. Thanks to Subbota’s interventions, often on his podcast – simply called The Therapy Podcast – Ukraine’s teenagers self-diagnosed their mental disorders and found advice on navigating difficult relationships with their parents. In 2020, together with Ukraine’s health ministry, he launched an online platform (Tell Me), providing advice during Covid quarantine. Subbota even acted as an adviser to two of Ukraine’s health ministers and his apparent background in Ukraine’s security services, the SBU, also gave him the authority to lecture police officers.
