What do young people in Russia think about their permanent president and his war? Street concerts provided unexpected information – and the country reacted strongly.
The Russian justice system takes further action against a street musician in St. Petersburg. Petersburg because of a performance with protest songs against Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Singer Diana Loginova from the group Stoptime was supposed to be released in the morning after two arrest sentences.
However, he was soon arrested again, as the civil rights portal “OVD-Info” reported. Stoptime’s guitarist was also arrested again, only the drummer was released.
Concert in the center of St. Petersburg St. Petersburg
The group held a concert in the center of St. Petersburg. Petersburg in mid-October. Loginowa sings songs by exiled Russian rapper Monetochka, among others. The text said that “Swan Lake” was expected to be shown on TV soon – referring to Putin.
Soviet television used to introduce news of the death of a head of state with this ballet. Video from that night shows dozens of young people enthusiastically singing along.
Justice hinges on serial arrests
The musicians were arrested. Loginova received two arrest sentences for violating the right of assembly and had to pay a fine of 30,000 rubles (320 euros) for allegedly defaming the army. Successive arrests are a well-known tactic of the Russian justice system when dealing with opposition figures. Charges for alleged serious crimes are often prepared at this time.
The cheers over Loginova’s appearance were seen as a signal that many young Russians are tired of long-term ruler Putin and his war against Ukraine. Since his invasion of neighboring countries in 2022, the president has allowed his critics to be more severely persecuted and punished.
