Exiled Russian pop artist Monetochka has written a poem in support of three young St. Petersburg street musicians who were jailed after performing a banned anti-Kremlin song, media reported Monday.
Last week, Monetochka expressed pain over the arrest of the trio Stoptime, whose members were sentenced on Thursday to 12-13 days of administrative detention for blocking pedestrian access to a metro station while performing outside.
Their arrest followed a viral video showing the band performing a banned song that references both the Ozero dacha cooperative linked to President Vladimir Putin’s associates and the Swan Lake ballet, which came to symbolize the death of a Soviet leader.
Lead singer Diana Loginova, who performs under the name Naoko, was also charged with “discrediting” the Russian military. The misdemeanor offense is punishable by a fine and can lead to criminal prosecution if repeated within a year.
At a Sunday show in Valencia, Monetochka recited verses condemning the authorities’ fear of art, music and love, according to a social media video shared by the liberal opposition TV channel Dozhd. The poem’s opening lines are:
“You put on such an angry face,
But you’re afraid of guitars and singers.
Ink, canvases, watercolors scare you,
And anyone who's even a little braver.
You’re so afraid that it’s easier for me
To tell you what you’re not afraid of.”
Monetochka, whose real name is Yelizaveta Gyrdymova and who has lived abroad since 2022, went on to blast the authorities for being “afraid of our burning hearts because they melt steel and lead.”
“And like birds, our songs fly to those who are kind, brave and honest.”
Russian authorities in 2023 designated Monetochka a “foreign agent” and have since charged her with violating the requirements associated with that designation.
Since the arrest, Stoptime’s Telegram following has surged from hundreds to nearly 45,000. The band said it was suspending all future performances.
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