Teenage street singer jailed after leading rare anti-Putin protest song in St Petersburg
Viral videos show the crowd singing an outlawed song calling for an end to Putin’s rule
An 18-year-old street musician who led a crowd in singing an anti-Putin song in St Petersburg has been jailed for 13 days, after footage of the rare public show of dissent went viral.
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Diana Loginova, who performs under the name Naoko, was sentenced on Thursday for “discrediting” the Russian military and organising an unauthorised public gathering.
The performance drew hundreds of people who joined her in singing Co-operative Swan Lake, a banned track by exiled pro-Ukrainian rapper Noize MC.
Footage of the moment showed the teenager leading chants of: “Where have you been for eight years, you f**ing monsters?
"I want to watch ballet, let the swans dance. Let your grandpa tremble with excitement for Swan Lake."
The lyrics continue: "When the czar dies, we’ll dance again. The old man still clings to his throne, afraid to let go. Old man in the bunker, still thinks it’s nineteen eighty-five."
Read More: Crowds chant outlawed anti-Putin songs in rare St Petersburg protest
Young Russians sing a forbidden song in St Petersburg.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 14, 2025
Noize MC is a Russian pro-Ukrainian rapper forced to live in exile in Lithuania.
The crowd sings his song “Cooperative Swan Lake” in which he calls for Putin to be overthrown pic.twitter.com/qHrn1v1Gq6
A visibly shaken Loginova appeared in court in handcuffs.
The court rejected her plea to dismiss the charges. Loginova denied organising any protest in advance, saying her performance had been spontaneous.
Despite being banned by a St Petersburg court in May, the song has become an anti-war anthem among young Russians who oppose Vladimir Putin’s regime and his invasion of Ukraine.
Loginova’s mother, Irina, defended her daughter, telling local media she had no political motives.
"Diana lives with me, she's constantly under my supervision. I often attend her performances myself, then take her home. We are very close, and I know for sure that she has no political stance!” she said.
"Moreover, she's a patriot of our country, she loves Russia very much and has no plans to leave! She has no intention of supporting Ukraine!”
"The songs Diana chooses are those of her favourite artists. Her audience likes these compositions - that's the only reason she sings them.
"The audience asks, and Diana performs. There is no subtext, no malicious intent. My daughter doesn't encourage anyone to do anything and doesn't promote anything."
Protests in Russia are rare, and previous demonstrations have been brutally put down by the authorities.