Danil Kolbasenko: what kind of meme is this, who is it, what does it mean, how did it appear

In early February 2026, the Russian—speaking Internet was rocked by a new viral wave - the "Danil Kolbasenko" meme. The name of an unknown schoolboy flooded social networks in just a few days, turning into a symbol of a confident "protagonist". All the details are in the Izvestia article.

The circumstances of the meme's origin

The meme was born during a stream by blogger Kirill Kursanov, who was playing Counter-Strike 2 and communicating in voice roulette at the same time. At some point, his interlocutor turned out to be a schoolboy. Kursanov invited the boy to play Standoff 2 mobile shooter together and asked him to dictate the ID — the game ID. Instead, the young gamer enthusiastically blurted out, "Danil Kolbasenko!" To the streamer's surprised question, the boy repeated "Danil Kolbasenko!!!" even louder and more confidently, after which Kursanov asked the child to swear.

A fragment of the stream occurred back in 2024 or 2025, but remained unnoticed for almost two years. It wasn't until January and February 2026 that social media users picked it up, overlaying the audio track on a variety of videos, from anime edits to everyday sketches.

At the moment, nothing is known about the boy himself, except for the voice. Judging by the timbre, he is from 5 to 10 years old. Several versions of what happened appeared on the Internet: the boy simply did not understand what an ID was, and out of habit introduced himself as in class; the student intentionally joked or decided to attract attention to himself.

Streamer Kursanov himself admitted that he was tired of endless questions about Danil, but jokingly offered to find the boy and still play Standoff 2 with him. Accounts allegedly belonging to the same student appeared on the Network, but none of them received confirmation.

Public reaction and the meaning of the meme

Users called the trend "the kindest meme of 2026." Unlike many viral videos, there is no mockery of a child here — the audience is bribed by sincerity, childlike spontaneity and the absence of falsehood. Many admit that Danil's voice evokes nostalgia for the days when the Internet was less aggressive.

In Internet culture, Danil Kolbasenko has become the personification of sigma, a self-confident hero who does not explain or justify himself, but simply exists. Audio from the video is superimposed on scenes with superpowered anime characters, sporting moments, and any situations where coolness or charisma need to be emphasized.

Meme in popular culture and sports

The wave of popularity quickly expanded beyond user-generated content. Brands actively picked up the trend: Burger King promised 30 free whoppers to the hero of the meme, but the family with a boy named Danil Kolbasenko could not prove that it was him. Kinopoisk used audio in comic clips, integrating the meme into excerpts from popular films. Tanuki added a set of rolls to the menu in honor of Danil. Yandex Market held a T-shirt contest from the Danil Kolbasenko brand.

The meme is also reflected in sports: hockey player Vitaly Pinchuk entered the shootout contest of the KHL All-Star Game in a uniform with the surname Kolbasenko. The Ak Bars hockey club has published a post about the "transfer" of new player Danil Kolbasenko, showing the jersey with the number 16. Zenit, CSKA, Torpedo and the Russian national team football clubs beat the meme in humorous videos.

In esports, Team Spirit team members Boris Vorobyov and Danil Kryshkovets recorded their own version of the video.

Thus, Danil Kolbasenko turned from a casual stream into a universal Internet character who united gamers, athletes and ordinary users. His identity remains a mystery, but that's probably what makes the meme so popular.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.