October 21, 2025

Singing Can Get You Jailtime


Singing Can Get You Jailtime
Naoko performing in St. Petersburg. Stoptaim, Telegram.

On October 15, members of the street band Stoptime were arrested, and its vocalist was charged with two counts of "discrediting" the army. The trio has gained notoriety for performing songs by artists declared "foreign agents."

Since the spring, Stoptime has been performing on the streets of St. Petersburg. Singer Diana "Naoko" Loginova, guitarist Alexander Orlov, and drummer Vladislav Leontev announce spontaneous performances on their Telegram channel, which currently has over 43,000 subscribers. Videos of the trio performing anti-war songs on Nevsky Prospekt quickly went viral. In August, the musicians were arrested for "violating the peace." All Stoptime members were released after writing explanatory statements.

On September 26 and October 11, Stoptime performed Monetochka's "Ty-soldat" (you are a soldier) and Noize MC's "Svetaya Polosa" (emptiness of light) outside Vosstaniya Square metro station in the heart of St. Petersburg. Monetochka and Noize MC have both been declared foreign agents in Russia and are in exile in Lithuania.

Videos of the band's performances have been shared on pro-war Telegram channels. A 28-year-old named Mikhail Nikolaev filed a complaint about crowds gathering around Vosstaniya Square, saying they were obstructing pedestrians. However, the report incorrectly stated the exact location and time of the performance. Furthermore, the handwriting on Nikolaev's original complaint and an explanatory note did not match.

On October 15, 18-year-old Naoko was arrested for "organizing a rally that resulted in public disorder" and spent the night in prison. Then a court sentenced her to 13 days in administrative detention. Orlov and Leontev were sentenced to 12 and 13 days in jail, respectively.

The singer was charged with two additional charges of "discreditation of the army." Receiving repeated reports of "discreditation" can lead to up to R300,000 R ($3,700) in fines or five years in prison. Charges will be submitted to the court after her sentence expires. The drummer and the guitarist have not faced additional cases.

On October 16, the following message appeared on Stoptime's Telegram channel: "Guys, in the near future, all performances (street performances) will not be held."

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