In Russia, the attack on Ukraine is officially referred to only as a “military special operation”. For fear of high penalties, many people do not dare to take a clear stance against the war. At Russian concerts, however, more and more voices are being raised against Putin.
Visitors to a concert in Russia caused a stir with anti-war chants. Many users published a short video on social networks over the weekend, showing how hundreds of people in front of a stage keep shouting “shitty war, shitty war”. According to independent media and well-known members of the opposition, the recording was made during a performance by the Russian rock group Kiss-Kiss in the Baltic Sea metropolis of St. Petersburg. “Kiss Kiss” is also written in illuminated letters on the stage.
The band, which had previously opposed Russia’s war in Ukraine, initially did not comment. Some users worried that the musicians may now have to fear legal consequences.
Last week, a video of a concert by the band DDT in the city of Ufa in the Urals was widely shared on Russia’s social networks. It shows frontman Yuri Shevchuk calling out to the audience: “Home, my friends, this isn’t the president’s ass that you have to lick and kiss all the time. Home – that’s the poor granny at the train station selling potatoes.” Shevchuk received a lot of applause for this from the concert-goers. It was later revealed that the singer was now under investigation for allegedly discrediting Russia’s armed forces.
In Russia, the war against Ukraine is officially referred to only as a “military special operation”. Anyone who spreads alleged “fake news” about Russia’s army faces severe penalties. Social networks like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are forbidden and blocked. That is why the figures on approval of Putin’s policies are primarily used as a measure of how effectively the Kremlin-controlled propaganda is working. The only reports are of “heroic deeds” by Russian soldiers.
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