Kathrine Frich
Hundreds of young Russians gathered in St Petersburg’s Kazanskaya Square this week to sing a song banned by the Kremlin.
An act of defiance that ended with the arrest of 18-year-old street performer Diana Loginova.
The fall of Putin
The crowd joined Loginova and her band Stoptime in performing “Cooperative Swan Lake”, an anti-war anthem written by exiled rapper Noize MC, calling for President Vladimir Putin’s downfall.
Videos circulating on social media show the crowd swaying and chanting along to lyrics that compare Putin to an aging ruler clinging to power.
“When the czar dies, we’ll dance again,” the audience sings, echoing through the square as police begin to move in. Within minutes, officers detained Loginova while questioning her bandmates.
The performance quickly spread online under the hashtag #FreeNaoko, referencing Loginova’s stage name.
Her arrest has reignited anger over Russia’s escalating crackdown on artists and musicians accused of “discrediting” the military or spreading “extremist” messages.
“She Has No Political Motives,” Says Mother
According to Russian outlet Fontanka, Loginova is expected to face administrative charges for organizing an unauthorized gathering and performing an outlawed song.
Both offenses have become common tools in silencing dissent since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Loginova’s mother, Irina, defended her daughter in comments to local media, saying the teenager had no political intentions.
“Diana lives with me, she’s constantly under my supervision,” Irina said. “She loves her country and has no desire to leave. She just sings the songs people ask for, there is no subtext, no malicious intent.”
Banned for negative attitued
“Cooperative Swan Lake” was banned in May 2025 after prosecutors labeled it “extremist” and accused it of “encouraging negative attitudes toward government officials, especially the president.”
The song references the Soviet-era tradition of airing Swan Lake during political crises — a symbolic gesture now reimagined as an anthem of resistance.
Music as Defiance in Putin’s Russia
The song’s author, Noize MC (real name Ivan Alekseyev), was branded a “foreign agent” in 2022 and has lived in exile since the war began.
His lyrics “Old man in the bunker, still thinks it’s nineteen eighty-five”, have become rallying cries among Russia’s youth, frustrated by censorship and disillusioned with the war.
Despite the risk of arrest, street performances of protest music have become increasingly common across major Russian cities.
“We grew up with their songs,” one attendee told independent journalists. “They’re saying what everyone here feels but is too afraid to shout.”
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, which may have used AI in the preparation
