Overview
- Prosecutors in Moscow formally opened a criminal case on Monday charging Noize MC (Ivan Alekseev) under part 2 of Article 205.2 for allegedly "justifying terrorism" during concerts held outside Russia.
- The prosecutor's statement says investigators believe the artist publicly praised a banned organization and endorsed terrorist ideology at those performances.
- If convicted under the cited statute the rapper faces up to seven years in prison, raising his legal risk beyond past fines and administrative measures.
- Russian authorities previously placed Noize MC on the Ministry of Justice 'foreign agents' list in November 2022 and fined him for labeling and reporting violations and for 'discrediting' the army, and a St. Petersburg court banned one of his songs in May 2025.
- Rights groups and critics view the case as part of a broader pattern since 2022 of using 'foreign agent' and security laws to police speech by exiled critics and artists, which could increase pressure on performers living and touring abroad.