In Russia, singer Monetochka, who supports Ukrainians, was convicted

A Moscow court sentenced the well-known Russian singer Monetochka (real name: Elizaveta Girdimova) in absentia to one year of imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony. 

The verdict was handed down in a criminal case involving evasion of the duties of a “foreign agent.” In addition, the artist was banned from administering online resources for three years.

The basis for the prosecution was that in May 2024, the singer published a series of posts on her Instagram page without the appropriate labeling required by Russian law. The prosecution sought a sentence of one year and ten months in prison for the singer, but the judge limited the sentence to one year in a penal colony. During the trial, particular emphasis was placed on her negative attitude toward the current Russian government, her condemnation of the Russian military’s actions, and her public support for Ukraine.

Russian authorities designated Monetochka a “foreign agent” in January 2023 due to her anti-war stance, after which they fined her twice under administrative codes. Since the singer left Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion and actively held charity concerts to benefit Ukrainian refugees, the criminal case against her was heard in a single day in absentia. The singer is currently wanted by the authorities.

Source: Mediazona.

The Leninsky District Court of St. Petersburg sentenced Alexander Orlov, guitarist for the street band “StopTime,” to 13 days of administrative detention. He was accused of “organizing a mass gathering of citizens” due to a concert featuring songs by musicians whom the Russian authorities have declared “foreign agents,” including Noize and Monetochka. All three band members—Naoko (Diana Loginova), Alexander Orlov, and drummer Vladislav Leontyev—were detained. The international human rights organization Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of the musicians from the band “StopTime.”