St. โคPetersburg Street Singer Fined for Performance Deemed to Discredit Russian Military
ST. PETERSBURG – A St. Petersburg street musician has been fined for performing a songโ authorities โclaim discredits the Russian military, the latest instance of escalating restrictions on artistic expression following the invasion of โUkraine. Loginova, vocalist for the street trio stoptime, along wiht guitarist Alexander orlov and drummer Vladislav, were initially arrested earlier this month and sentenced to 12-13 days in jail for organizing an unauthorized public gathering.
The case highlights a growing trend of legal repercussions for individuals expressing dissent or criticism of the warโ in Ukraine through artistic mediums.Russian law prohibits “discrediting” theโ armed forces,a broadly defined offense thatโ hasโข been used toโ target activists,journalists,and artists.
following โhisโข release โafter serving the initial sentence,โ Orlov was detained againโ on Tuesday and charged with โa new administrative offense under the same article concerning unlawful assembly. He was held at a police station for further โquestioning. The Moscow Times, designated an โฃ”undesirable” organizationโค by the russian government, reports that these actions are partโข of a broader effort to silence independent journalism andโค suppress opposition to the โKremlin’s policies.