18 year-old Russian singer fined for 'discrediting' military, still in police custody over new pending charges
Eighteen year-old street singer Diana Loginova was fined 30,000 rubles ($375) after spending 13 days in administrative detention for "discrediting" Russia's military, local media reported on Oct. 28.
Instead of being released, Loginova is being kept overnight at the Police Department No. 76 in St. Petersburg after a new case was opened against her for holding an "unauthorized" public event, according to independent Russian outlet Mediazona.
Loginova, who performs under the stage name Naoko, was first detained on Oct. 15 by police in St. Petersburg after a video of her and her fellow bandmates from Stoptime performing anti-Kremlin songs went viral.
Specifically, Loginova was fined for performing exiled Russian singer Monetochka’s song "You’re a Soldier."
The lyrics include lines such as: "You’re a soldier, I can see from your eyes that you’ve been there / You smell of blood, you’re nothing but a scar." There are no explicit references in the song to Russia's war against Ukraine.
In addition to Monetochka's "You're a Soldier," Stoptime has also famously performed Noize MC's "Swan Lake Cooperative." Both Monetochka and Noize MC have been labeled "foreign agents" by the Russian government.
In court Loginova refused to admit to her "guilt," according to independent Russian media outlet Novaya Gazeta. Video footage shows Loginova being escorted out of the courtroom by police to the applause of supporters.
By performing songs by artists designated as "foreign agents," Stoptime has been taking a growing risk in a country where authorities are increasingly suppressing any form of dissent during the full-scale war against Ukraine.
Three street musicians from the cover band Restart were also detained on Oct. 28 by police for staging a public performance in St. Petersburg in support of Stoptime, according to SotaVision.
