Kisin was born in Moscow in the former Soviet Union to parents Marina and Vadim, then 18 and 20 years old, respectively, and grew up in the USSR. His experiences in the country inform much of his own political worldview today.[2] He is of Russian, Greek, and Jewish descent.[3][4] Both of his parents were semi-practicing Christians, while his grandfather on his father's side was Jewish.[5] Kisin has previously identified as Jewish.[6][7] At the age of 11, he moved to the United Kingdom.[8] He attended Clifton College boarding school, and subsequently Edinburgh University, which he left before finishing a degree.[9]
Career
Podcasting
Since April 2018, Kisin has been co-presenter (with Francis Foster) of Triggernometry, a YouTube channel and podcast. The primary format of the channel is the prerecorded interview; the channel brands itself as holding "honest conversations with fascinating people",[10] and has been described as "anti-woke" by The Times and "hard-right" by openDemocracy.[11][12] Guests have included Jordan Peterson and Sam Harris.[13] A 2023 interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, on the subject of "Have We Lost Trust in Science?",[14] was widely reported upon both by other YouTube channels and the mainstream media because of Tyson's statements on the subject of transgender rights.[15][16][17]
The podcast was named one of the "best 20 escapist podcasts" in The Daily Telegraph in 2020.[18]
Konstantin Kisin speaking at Alliance for Responsible Citizenship 2023 in Greenwich, London, UK, 31 October 2023
In March 2022 Kisin appeared as a panellist on the first edition of BBC Question Time following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He described feeling shame for his birth country Russia and discussed the bombardment that his family in Ukraine was undergoing.[25]
Kisin's 2023 speech at the Oxford Union student debating society in favour of the motion that "Woke Culture HAS Gone Too Far" went viral.[26][27] A critical article by Will Lloyd appeared in the New Statesman, writing of Kisin that "when he told me, unsmilingly, not to misrepresent him, a sad thought floated into my head. Misrepresent him? There would have to be something there to represent in the first place." Describing Kisin as the "cracklingly viral man" of the moment, Lloyd added: "His speech was praised as a nine-minute interlude of sanity in an insane world ... The speech continued to ricochet around the internet, gaining millions of views, then millions more."[28]
In a keynote speech in London in late 2023 at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, Kisin argued that the moment for restoring Western civilisation is at hand, describing it as "the fight for our lives".[29] In September 2023, the New Statesman named him as the 46th most influential right-wing figure in British politics.[30] In 2024, writer Nathan J. Robinson wrote in Current Affairs in response to a video published by Kisin defending Israel's actions in the Israel–Hamas war. Robinson wrote, "To believe as Kisin does is to sanction one of the most monstrous acts of our time. I believe Kisin has ended up holding a completely indefensible position."[31]
In 2018, Kisin made headlines when he refused to sign a "behavioural agreement" form explaining a "no tolerance policy" with regard to racism, sexism, classism, ageism, homophobia, biphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-religion, and anti-atheism,[34] when asked to perform, free of charge, at a fundraising gig for UNICEF at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. The form explained those topics were not banned, but stated the topics should be discussed in a "respectful and non-abusive way", and presented in a way that is "respectful and kind".[34][35]
After Kisin refused to agree to those terms and chose not to perform, the UNICEF on Campus society at SOAS apologised and clarified they did not wish to "impose that guests would have to agree to anything they do not believe in". The SOAS Students' Union said that it did not require external speakers to sign any contract before appearances, and that the UNICEF on Campus society had been "overzealous" in interpreting the guidelines.[36][37][38][39]
Justifying his actions after it was claimed that Kisin had agreed to similar restrictions for a different gig in 2017, he stated he was "absolutely certain there was nothing about religion, atheism, respect or kindness in the rules [of the 2017 contract]. Had there been, I would not have agreed."[40]
.svg)
