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Remembering Russia’s Victims and Facing New Repression
In a quiet forest outside St Petersburg, families gathered this week to read the names of Stalin’s victims, the thousands executed and buried during the Great Terror of the 1930s.
It is an annual Remembrance Day for Victims of Political Repression, honoring those silenced by the Soviet dictator. Yet for many Russians today, the echoes of that dark era still feel close, especially for those who challenge the Kremlin’s control.
Amid the solemn remembrance, a modern story of repression unfolded just miles away, that of 18-year-old Diana Loginova, a music student whose street concert has made her one of the latest targets of Russia’s crackdown on dissent.
A Street Concert Turns Into a Crime
Diana, who performs under the stage name Naoko, is the lead singer of the band Stoptime. The group gained attention in St Petersburg for performing songs by exiled artists like Noize MC and Monetochka, both outspoken critics of the Kremlin and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Their open-air performances drew enthusiastic crowds of young fans. But authorities accused the band of organizing a mass public gathering that allegedly blocked access to a Metro station.
Diana and her bandmates Alexander Orlov and Vladislav Leontyev were arrested on 15 October and sentenced to nearly two weeks in jail.
Facing New Charges for a Song
Diana’s legal troubles did not end there. This week, she appeared again in Leninsky District Court, where she faced a fresh charge for discrediting the Russian armed forces.
The accusation stems from her performance of You’re a Soldier, a song by Monetochka, one of many Russian artists now officially labeled a foreign agent.
The song’s chorus, which expresses sympathy for those opposing war, was deemed to undermine the army’s reputation.
After a brief hearing, the court found Diana guilty and fined her 30,000 roubles (£285). Yet before she could leave, police detained her again to prepare additional charges.
“We Were Just Playing Music”
“I never thought this could happen,” said Diana’s mother Irina, waiting anxiously in the courthouse hallway. “You can’t imagine it until it happens to you.”
Speaking to reporters, Diana defended her band’s actions:
“All we did was share music we love with others. The power of music is important. It brings people together.”
Her boyfriend and bandmate Alexander Orlov added, “It’s not just the words. The music says everything people feel. It always has.”
A Modern Echo of the Soviet Past
In the same city where tens of thousands were once executed and buried in secret, today’s young artists are once again facing punishment for expression.
Rights groups say Russia’s growing list of foreign agents and laws against discrediting the army have created an atmosphere of fear and conformity reminiscent of the Soviet years.
Under President Vladimir Putin, public criticism of the war in Ukraine or of the government can lead to fines, arrests, or imprisonment, even for a teenager with a guitar.
