Stepan (cat)
Stepan (Степан, in Ukrainian) is a Ukrainian striped cat that gained worldwide popularity on social media for its calm nature and jaded posture, making it Ukraine's most popular cat.[1] He has more than one and a half million followers on Twitter and Instagram.[2] Since 2019, Stepan also has an account on the TikTok network.[3]
Stepan was born in 2008 in Kharkiv. Stepan's owner Anna found him when he was little.[4] He has since lived with her in a high-rise apartment building in Saltivka, Kharkiv.[citation needed] In 2020, during the quarantine period, Anna recorded the first video with her cat and it received several million views. Since then, Anna has been posting new photos and taking pictures of the cat almost every day, always coming up with new images for Stepan.[3]
According to The Moscow Times' YouTube channel, by July 2021, the cat's fame had crossed the country's borders, with Stepan "capturing the heart" of the Russian Internet.[5]
In November 2021, Britney Spears drew attention to the cat in her post.[6] The publication had more than 1.1 million likes and almost nine thousand comments.[7] Soon after, the Italian fashion house Valentino published an ad for one of its handbags, featuring the cat Stepan.[1]
On February 24, 2022, Anna and Stepan were surprised by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, during which violent bombings are being carried out in Kharkiv, with the destruction of part of the city, including residential neighborhoods, causing dozens of deaths and injuries. After the invasion began, Stepan's social media accounts confirmed that both the cat and its owner survived the bombings, finding themselves in a shelter. Since then, Stepan's photos have been accompanied by photos of the destruction caused by Russian forces, and messages calling for an end to the invasion and a return to peace.[8][9]
References
- ^ a b "This is a success: Valentino ordered an advertisement from Stepan's cat (photo) - Global Happenings". Global Happenings. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ "Харківський кіт Степан потрапив до Instagram Брітні Спірс (фото, відео)". ФОКУС (in Ukrainian). 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ a b "Conoce a Stepán, el gato que causa sensación en TikTok por una expresión muy singular". El Comercio Perú (in Spanish). 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ "Кіт із аристократичним поглядом з Харкова став зіркою Мережі". ТСН.ua (in Ukrainian). 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ Sleepy Ukrainian Cat Captivates Russian Internet | The Moscow Times, retrieved 2022-03-04
- ^ "Український кіт став зіркою світових соцмереж. Його перепостила навіть Брітні Спірс". BBC News Україна (in Ukrainian). 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ Цьомик, Ганна (2021-11-26). "Тисячі підписників і повідомлень: кіт Степан в Instagram Брітні Спірс". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ Flood, Rebecca (2022-03-03). "Famous meme cat from Ukraine uses viral platform to plea for end to the war". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- ^ "Ukraine Becomes the World's "First TikTok War"". The New Yorker. 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-03-04.