“I have nothing to do with politics, I was singing about love”

Police raided and interrupted a concert by Russian blogger and underground musician “Prorok Sanboy” (“Prophet of the Sun”), aka Gennady Chernetsov.

“Prophet of the Sun” was also taken to the department. It happened on March 3 in St. Petersburg, the Northern capital of Russia, the birthplace of President Vladimir Putin.

According to the lawyer, the artist was found guilty and fined for “organizing an unauthorized mass event that obstructs city traffic”.

“I don’t know why they detained me, I have nothing to do with politics, I sang about love, I’m 55 years old, it was my anniversary,” said the surprised Prophet of the Sun.

The name “Elton” itself is perceived as dangerous

The incident in St. Petersburg is just one of the latest examples of similar brutal police attacks in several Russian cities.

The Elton club in Krasnoyarsk was closed when police arrived after receiving a letter from conservative lawmaker Ekaterina Mizulina. Mizulina, an avowed Putinist, heads the Safer Internet League, which conducts online censorship among other functions.

Earlier, the group called “Conservative Youth” appealed to Mizulina in a video message, which claimed that on February 23, when Russia celebrates “Defender of the Fatherland Day”, a “provocative party” was taking place.

“Restore decency in popular culture”

The next day, police stopped a concert by Russian punk band Distemper in Nizhny Novgorod, about 600 kilometers east of Moscow.

The public and musicians were told to vacate the premises after the documents were checked. No reason was given for the invasion, other than to say it was a “preemptive move”.

A section of the public insists that the country should be protected from “negative Western influences, including non-traditional sexual relations.” Those holding these views want to “join forces with the state and restore decency in popular culture.”

“Now we have to think about that[danger]because there are people who might go to the police and accuse us of alleged obscenity,” Roman Julian, of the rock band Flaimheart, told Reuters.

Concerts and other pop events perceived as “provocative” or “indecent” are increasingly coming under the spotlight of conservative elements, seemingly encouraged by the authorities.

The Half-naked Party and the Egg Shortage

In January of this year, ВІТИОМ, the All-Russian Center for Research of Public Opinion, noted that according to the results of the survey, 63 percent of Russians are in favor of censorship in the mass media.

The authorities, Kremlin-loyal lawmakers, bloggers, state media anchors and the Orthodox Church reacted with fury to a “semi-nude” party late last year, which included various pop artists and Russian “bohemian stars”.

It became a key topic of public discussions, the participants of the event were severely criticized, started to be punished, forced to make public sinful messages. Even President Vladimir Putin indirectly criticized the holding of such gatherings and the participants of the “vecherinka”.

Due to all this, real social issues such as the unprecedented shortage of eggs and other food and inflation have been overshadowed. Thanks to the half-naked party, the public’s attention was diverted from the deficit problem.

The scandals in the Russian pop world come at a time when President Vladimir Putin is preparing to easily win the March 15-17 presidential election and take over the leadership of the country for another six years.

These days he is shouting slogans of social conservatism, encouraging families to have 8 or more children. Courts also recognize as “extremist” any movement whose ideas contradict conservatism.

“Even if the country isn’t right, you should support it”

Alexander Malinin is a famous singer in Russia, he has a large army of fans. Tickets for his concerts sell out quickly, he sings popular Russian songs.

But even he has recently come under fire for allegedly “not stating his position on Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.”

Many of those present at Malinin’s concert in Moscow on February 23 were from the “patriotic” camp.

“Even if your country is not right, you still have to support it,” spectator Andrey Platov told Reuters, adding: – “Russia is invincible and always right.”

“We all love our motherland, our Russia,” said audience member Natalya Marane.