Hundreds of young Russians gathered in St. Petersburg this week to belt out a banned protest anthem, risking stiff penalties under the country's sweeping censorship laws. The impromptu choir, which joined street musicians in a central city square in Vladimir Putin's hometown, sang "Co-operative Swan Lake"—a song labeled extremist by Russian authorities for its pointed criticism of Putin and the war in Ukraine. The Telegraph calls the performance a "rare moment of public dissent." The song, a call for the end of Putin's rule, is peppered with references to Soviet history and Putin's inner circle.
The song was written by rapper Noize MC, real name Ivan Alekseev, who fled to Lithuania after Russiva's invasion of Ukraine. The 40-year-old has been branded a "foreign agent" by Moscow, a label increasingly used to silence dissent. His lyrics, including lines like "Let the old man shake in fear for his lake," and "When the czar dies, we'll dance again," jab at both Putin personally and the broader apathy among Russians about the war and Kremlin rule. Russian courts have deemed the song dangerous, accusing it of spreading "propaganda for violent change" and claiming it's harmful to minors.
The St. Petersburg crowd joined in as street musicians Stoptime played the banned song and other anti-war and anti-Kremlin anthems. Band member Diana Loginova, an 18-year-old student at a music college in the city, was arrested Wednesday and sentenced to 13 days in jail on Thursday, as were two other band members, reports Reuters. She was found guilty of organizing an unplanned gathering that blocked access to the subway, a relatively minor administrative offense, but authorities warned that there would be further charges and longer jail terms if she took part in more performances.
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