In Yekaterinburg, street musician Evgeny Mikhailov was detained for performing in support of the St. Petersburg band «Stoptime» and singing songs of «foreign agents». The musician himself reported the detention to «OVD-Info»*. He was taken to the police department.
The day before, he held several performances in the center of Yekaterinburg, performing songs by «Pornofilms»*, Monetochka*, Valentin Strykalo*, and Noize MC*.
Earlier, Mikhailov told the publication It's My City that he has been giving street concerts for three years. «I was very sad and upset that people can be arrested for performing music on the street. Regardless of what view I or anyone else has on the meaning of the songs, arresting people for music performed on the streets is unacceptable. It doesn't matter who sings the songs — whether a foreign agent or not. If a song has emotion, it should already be respected by people. And respect should be shown through freedom — the ability to express it», — the musician said.
According to him, singer Naoko and the band «Stoptime» — are examples of courage and openness, because despite the risks, they performed songs of «foreign agents», inspiring others to speak and sing about what is unacceptable.
Actions in support of «Stoptime» took place in various cities across Russia, with street musicians performing songs of «foreign agents» on the streets of St. Petersburg, Saratov, and Krasnodar this weekend. Pickets demanding the release of the arrested were held in Moscow, Stavropol, Voronezh, Novosibirsk, and Tver.
The vocalist of «Stoptime» Diana Loginova, drummer Vladislav Leontyev, and guitarist Alexander Orlov were placed under administrative arrest for performing songs of «foreign agents», Loginova and Leontyev — for 13 days, Orlov — for 12 days. They were accused of organizing an unauthorized event, which «obstructed pedestrian movement» to the metro. It later became known that two protocols were drawn up against Loginova under the administrative article on «discrediting» the Russian army. She now faces criminal prosecution.
In one of the protocols, the police indicated that the song Noize MC «Bright Side» «discredits» the Russian army, as one of the fans wrote to the musician that it is listened to in Ukraine during bombings.
* Recognized as «foreign agents» in Russia.