Released St.Petersburg Street Musician Reportedly Flees Russia
ST. PETERSBURG – Street musician diana Loginova, recently released โคfrom a month-long detention alongside bandmate Alexander Orlov, has reportedly fled Russia, according too โขEkho Moskvy โฃradio, citing an unnamed source.โ The growth marks the latest chapter โin a case that has drawn attentionโฃ to the increasingโ pressureโข on artistic expression and dissent in Russia.
Loginova and Orlov, members of the band Stoptime, were arrested three times beginningโฃ on October 15, after gaining viral attention for performing songs by anti-war musicians during streetโ concerts in St. Petersburg. Authorities employed a tactic of repeated arrests – a “cycle of arrests” โคas described by The โฃMoscow Times โ – to keep the musicians in custody.No members of Stoptime remain โฃin detention following thier release on Sunday, as reported by Fontanka.ru.
The โคarrests and subsequent release come amid a broader โฃcrackdown on individuals perceived to oppose the kremlin’s policies. Late last month, Loginova was fined 30,000 rubles ($375) for โข”discrediting theโค Russian military” after performing an anti-war song by an exiled musician. Aโ second charge on the same offense was sent back to police by a judge due โto insufficient โขdetail. Loginova has maintained her innocence.
Fontanka reported that police transported Loginova and Orlov from the detention center to another location to avoid โขquestions from waiting journalists. Loginova’s lawyer, maria Zyryanova, confirmed their safety and requested privacy. The reported departure of Loginovaโ underscores the risksโข faced by artists and activists critical of the government in russia.
