Hundreds of youthful Russians gathered at a historic city square and sang a banned song advocating for the removal of Vladimir Putin. The scene was captured in video footage as the crowd, accompanied by street musicians, performed ‘Cooperative Swan Lake’ at Kazanskaya Square in St Petersburg. This particular song, created by Ukrainian musician Ivan Alexeyev, also known as rapper Noize MC, has become a symbol of resistance against Putin’s government and the Ukraine conflict since being outlawed in May 2025 due to being labeled “extremist” by a court.
The song references a Soviet tradition where Swan Lake was broadcast repeatedly on Russian TV channels during times of political upheaval to signal changes in the regime and political instability. The lyrics of the song include phrases like “When the czar dies, we’ll dance again” and “Old man in the bunker, still thinks it’s nineteen eighty-five.” Noize MC left Russia for Lithuania following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
During the gathering, the crowd voiced their discontent, chanting phrases like “Where have you been for eight years, you f***ing monsters?” and expressing their desire to watch ballet and witness the swans dance. One of the participants, an 18-year-old named Diana Loginova, was arrested by the authorities and is facing charges for organizing a large assembly in a public area.
Diana’s mother, Irina, defended her daughter, stating that Diana was not politically motivated but was simply singing the song due to its popularity and her admiration for Noize MC. Irina emphasized that Diana is a patriotic Russian who has no intention of supporting Ukraine or leaving her country. She clarified that Diana’s song choices are based on audience preferences and have no hidden agenda or malicious intent.
The incident occurred amidst a series of successful strikes on Russia, with Ukrainian drones causing a major oil storage and transshipment facility in Russian-occupied Crimea to catch fire. Ukraine has intensified its drone attacks on strategic Russian targets, disrupting oil and gas infrastructure to undermine Putin’s military efforts. These strikes have led to fuel shortages and a spike in gasoline prices across Russia.