Kenneth Glad
Street performances by young artists drew official attention after familiar songs took on political meaning. The case later became part of a wider debate about pressure on public dissent.
Street performances by the music group Stoptime drew police attention in St. Petersburg after the young band played songs by Russian artists critical of the war in Ukraine, according to the BBC and The Moscow Times.
Singer Diana Loginova, who performs as Naoko, appeared with guitarist Alexander Orlov and drummer Vladislav Leontyev before the arrests changed the group’s future.
Loginova was detained in October 2025 and brought before a St. Petersburg court over the performances.
Police focused on performances
According to the BBC, authorities accused Loginova of organizing a public gathering that disrupted order.
She was also fined for discrediting the Russian armed forces over a song by Monetochka, an artist designated a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities.
“I’m very pleased, and it’s important, that people have been supporting us, that many people are on our side, on the side of truth,” Loginova told BBC.
BBC reported that Orlov also faced charges and said the band had not intended the concerts as political rallies.
“I think it’s not the words, it’s the music that is most important,” Orlov told the British broadcaster. “Music says everything for people. It always has.”
Support carried consequences
The case drew attention because the band’s performances were part of St. Petersburg’s street music culture, not formal protest activity.
Still, other musicians who showed support were also punished, according to The Moscow Times.
Orlov proposed to Loginova while they were being transported in a police van, using a ring made from a tissue.
Loginova and Orlov left Russia in November, while Leontyev stayed in the country and quit the band.
Loginova and Orlov are now engaged and trying to restart their music career in Europe.
Europe becomes next stage
Loginova told The Moscow Times that the pair are working on an album, rehearsing and preparing press materials. Some songs were started in Russia, while others were written after they left.
“The album is about hope, love and freedom — about what an ordinary person needs and what helps to get through difficulties and the darker periods of life,” she said.
Orlov told The Moscow Times they hope to reach listeners in Russia, Belarus and abroad.
Loginova said concerts in several European cities showed that audiences could respond to the music even without understanding every lyric.
Sources: BBC report; The Moscow Times interview with Diana Loginova and Alexander Orlov.
