Overview
- Diana Loginova, 18, was sentenced to 13 days in administrative detention after police charged her with organizing an unauthorized gathering and “discrediting” the military, according to local reports.
- Hundreds joined a sing-along in Kazanskaya Square to “Cooperative Swan Lake,” which a St. Petersburg court banned from distribution in May for alleged extremist content and harm to minors.
- The viral video of the performance drew sharp rebukes on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, with posts amplified by nationalist figure Igor Girkin.
- Noize MC, the song’s author, is labeled a “foreign agent” by Russia’s Justice Ministry and lives in exile in Lithuania; the lyrics denounce Kremlin propaganda and allude to Putin’s circle and the symbolism of Swan Lake during political upheaval.
- The case highlights Russia’s post-2022 legal environment that criminalizes dissent, with courts and law enforcement moving quickly to enforce censorship and public-assembly laws.