Khmelnitsky's chosen genre was the saloon comedy, and many prominent authors, Alexander Pushkin among them, valued him as an influential figure in the Russian literary scene of the 1820s.
[2] As the 1812 War broke out, Khmelnitsky joined the Russian army and at one time served as Mikhail Kutuzov’s adjutant.
Khmelnitsky's vaudevillian operas (The Quarantin, 1820; Actors Among Themselves or Actress Troyepolskaya's Debut, 1821; The Newest Prank or the Theatre Battle, 1822) were praised as a successful attempt to create the new, Russian flank of the genre.
"[3] In 1844 Khmelnitsky went abroad, having professed his disillusionment with the state of the Russian drama, but soon returned due to deteriorated health.
Several historical comedies he wrote in 1840s (The Tsar's Word or Rumyantsev's Marriage, Zinovy Bogdanovich Khmelnitsky or The Joining of Malorossiya, The Russian Faust or Bryusov Cabinet) were published after his death in 1845.