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Authorities have intensified their crackdown on any opposition to the Kremlin since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Lucy PapachristouMonday 24 November 2025 09:54 GMTComments
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Two young street musicians, jailed for over a month in Russia after performing anti-Kremlin songs, have reportedly left the country following their release from detention.
Vocalist Diana Loginova, 18, and guitarist Alexander Orlov, 22, were detained on 15 October in central St Petersburg.
Their arrest followed an impromptu street performance by their band, Stoptime, of "Swan Lake Cooperative" – a popular track by exiled Russian rapper and vocal Kremlin critic, Noize MC – which subsequently went viral on Russian social media.
The band's drummer, Vladislav Leontyev, was also taken into custody.
According to St Petersburg newspaper Fontanka, citing sources, Loginova departed Russia after being freed on Sunday.
A separate source informed the Kommersant daily that both Loginova and Orlov are now outside the country, though their current location remains undisclosed.
open image in galleryDiana Loginova was arrested after her performances of songs by exiled Russian artists known for their opposition to the country's military campaign in Ukraine (AFP via Getty Images)Their lawyer, Maria Zyryanova, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Loginova could not be reached.
The case against the musical trio attracted significant media attention within Russia, where public expressions of dissent have become increasingly rare.
Authorities have intensified their crackdown on any opposition to the Kremlin since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Singers who are critical of the authorities have fled the country and are cast as traitors by pro-Kremlin politicians. Many have been designated as "foreign agents", a label which has Soviet-era connotations of espionage.
The Stoptime trio have cycled in and out of Russian courts since their initial arrest in October, serving short jail stints for minor violations such as blocking access to the metro and petty hooliganism.
Loginova, a student at a music college, was also found guilty of "discrediting" the Russian army and fined 30,000 roubles ($379) for singing another anti-Kremlin song.
open image in galleryLoginova, a student at a music college, was also found guilty of ‘discrediting’ the Russian army and fined 30,000 roubles ($379) for singing another anti-Kremlin song (AFP/Getty)Rights groups refer to such arrests as "carousel arrests" - multiple busts for minor offences, with suspects being detained anew each time they are released.
Loginova and Orlov left detention on Sunday after finishing their most recent sentence, St Petersburg media outlets reported. The two got engaged during their cycle of incarceration, they told reporters in October.
Drummer Leontyev also served multiple short sentences and was released earlier this month.
Amnesty International had called for the musicians' release, saying "their only 'crime' is singing songs that challenge the suffocating official narrative."
Loginova's mother Irina previously told reporters that she thought her daughter and her bandmates had done nothing wrong and did not know why their concerts had attracted so much attention from the authorities and the media.
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