Musicians against fascism

Before main theme, one thing needs to be clarified. Starting in 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine began, Russia passed a law "On Control over the Activities of Persons Under Foreign Influence," which consolidated all previous regulations on this topic, giving rise to the term "foreign agent." Although the law states that these include all public speakers who receive funding from abroad, in reality, the state only uses this to create difficulties for anyone it dislikes (the case of leftist historian Stefanov, who proved in court that he received no funding from abroad, yet still retains this status, is considered proof of this). As a result, many popular young performers have received this status, and their songs are no longer played on radio and television. Although it's not explicitly stated anywhere, all citizens understand that the state wants their work forgotten...

October 14, 2025. A street concert by the band Stoptime is taking place in St. Petersburg. In the center of the "northern capital," the band and their audience perform anti-war songs by Monetochka and Noize MC, both of whom are known to be foreign agents. The next day, the band's singer, Diana "Naoko" Loginova, was arrested. In the following days, other members of Stoptime were also arrested. The charge they were arrested for—"discrediting the army"—is also absurd: they sing the same songs Ukrainians sing during shelling. On the day the article was written, Naoko was detained for the third time, which she received immediately after her previous arrest. She faces a real prison sentence simply for performing songs about hope and peace that are at odds with the state's rhetoric.

However, government repression has led to people turning to Stoptime. In addition to solo pickets and recorded video messages, other street musicians have taken to the streets of Russian cities, singing the same banned songs, some of whom have also been arrested for several days. The events in St. Petersburg have inspired many; more and more people are opening their eyes to what's happening in Russia. This is an example of class solidarity against a repressive state.

Singing such songs on the streets undermines the state propaganda that the entire population supports them. When the state fails to instill its goals and ideology in the progressive youth, the only option left is to suppress all initiatives with prison and the police baton. Each new round of repression only increases the level of anger toward the authorities, leading to the political radicalization of young people. As leftists, we must participate in any anti-authoritarian protest movement, helping more and more people open their eyes to their slavery and embark on the path to fighting it.

In solidarity,
FurInform